I wasn't dreaming of a White Christmas.

This is my final year at home before I head out to serve a full time LDS Mission. I am currently wrapping up my papers and am more than likely going to be sending them in within the next two weeks. I'm not sure exactly when or where my call will be for, but I can tell you this right now, it's going to be exactly where I need to go. I have trust in the lord that everything will be just fine and I will be placed where I can make the biggest impact on peoples lives. That's my thought process anyways.
On a different note, Christmas was a blast. My family gave me exactly what I needed, and plenty of things I wanted. We started off in the morning like most families do, opening presents. It was fun to see the excited looks on both Tyson and Sarah's face as they opened up their toys, clothing, and other items.  I still get excited for my gifts too, but like I'm sure Danielle is, I was trying to keep it in for some reason, probably to look tough or something. It's funny though, as much fun as I had opening presents with my family, the highlight of my day was probably either our Christmas Lunch/Dinner (Ham, Funeral Potatoes, and miscellaneous vegetables) or when I got to go see two movies with my loved ones.
As many of you may or may not already know, I am a Media Arts major at Brigham Young University, which means one thing. I love movies.  My love for movies was probably inherited from my goofy father.  I had the opportunity to see Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, which was an awesome movie, with my father, and the Guilt Trip with my mom and sister, which aroused emotions of guilt within me, go figure eh?
The Christmas was a good one.  I apologize for this post because it was nothing more than really a journal entry. (I'm 100% still btw!) I hope that everyone's Christmas was as memorable and fantastic as mine was. I'm going to miss my family wherever the lord sends me next Christmas. The Church is true, don't forget your prayers, and have a Happy New Year!


That's right! I didn't skip my 1 year mark.

Caffeine Craze: Brigham Young University

I believe Caffeine should be sold on campus.  Whenever I would finish a long, hard day of work there was never anything I love my soda and it is wrong for BYU to be making a judgment call on a beverage that is not against their policies.

In recent news, Carri Jenkins, the assistant to the president for University Communications at Brigham Young University, released a statement in response to NBC’s Rock Center Special, which broadcast an episode spotlighting what it is like to live LDS in America. The Rock Center Special said that the Mormon Church condemned the use of Caffeine.  This segment got a lot of people thinking about the LDS Religion.  Jenkins’ statement said that Caffeine was in fact not against Mormon beliefs and that the confusion is due to Caffeinated beverages not being sold on BYU’s campus, which as we all know is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Included in the statement Jenkins said that the reason it is not sold on BYU campus was because there is not a demand for it, which is untrue, we need to show the BYU Administration that there is.

The demand for Caffeine on campus has always been there. Many students assume that Caffeine is wrong because of the beverages not being sold on campus. They have been tricked into believing something that is not true, caffeine is not against the Honor Code.  The BYU Honor Code condemns the use of hot drinks and strong drinks, which are interpreted to be coffee, tea, and alcoholic beverages. The students of BYU have set up a Facebook page that is dedicated to the sales of caffeine on campus. The Facebook page, BYU for Caffeine, has this statement on their page:

BYU is using past interpreting the word of the wisdom and are blaming no demand. I just want them to stand for no caffeine and be honest about it or allow us to drink these sinless drinks while visiting campus or attending the next BYU home game.

This statement describes the pages stance on the issue.  The group at one point offered to give out 500 free cans of caffeinated soda on BYU grounds and was shut down within minutes of opening up business by the BYU Police. It turned out that the group did not have a proper permit to be staging a protest on campus, but it got a lot of people thinking.  Perhaps BYU isn’t selling them not because there is a lack of demand, but because of supposed health downfalls that come along with drinking caffeinated beverages. 

Of the positive effects of partaking in caffeine, it has been proven to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’. Maia, L. and De Mendonça, A. (2002) The caffeine decreases the loss of dopamine producing brain cells which ultimately, makes you less likely to develop these serious mental illnesses.

 Some people believe that caffeine should not be sold on campus because it only does negative things to your body when consumed.  If you do in fact drink too much there are definite health pitfalls to consuming caffeinated soda such as difficulty sleeping or irritability.  You will nearly always have negative side effects if you use too much of one thing at a time. The positive outcomes to drinking caffeinated beverages do in fact far outweigh the negative.

            Some people pose a very good question in regards to caffeine for sale on campus; why not go off campus to go buy the caffeine that you want so badly? First off, some people are on meal plans and are not able to purchase items at stores that are not on BYU campus. Secondly, BYU is making a judgment call for its students that it does not have to. Caffeine is perfectly acceptable for the LDS community to consume, therefore, it should be sold on campus.

            The demand for caffeine is and always will be here at BYU. If it were to be sold at the sporting events and other public gatherings, then sales would most likely increase.  CBS News in 2009 did a study and found that more than half of the American population consumes caffeine on a daily basis. With numbers like that, and our values where they are, how can BYU not be selling caffeinated beverages? Is it because they’re worried about the way people outside of the Mormon Church will view them?

            Many members of the LDS Church are criticized for their beliefs.  The Rock Center Special on Mormons did a fairly good job of explaining the basics of our religion, but did in fact have a few incorrect statements, among them caffeine not being allowed for members.  Do we as a church really want people believing lies about our religion? Because I sure don’t!

The Demand for Caffeinated Beverages is only going to continue to grow if this issue goes unsolved.  Caffeine should be sold on BYU campus and available to those who want it. 

            

B.A.S.H thoughts

This past weekend I attended the X 96 Big Ass Show.  The concert featured many of the bands I currently listen to, Awolnation, the Used, Neon Trees, and Imagine Dragons.  It was interesting watching the bands return to their hometowns and really playing off of the audiences vibe.  The lead singer from the Used constantly commented on how great it felt to be back where he originated from; as did Neon Trees and Imagine Dragons. I guess where I'm trying to lead this article into is this:  I miss performing live music.  I sure as heck know that I am never going to amount to as much as these super stars have, but I love having my music heard and there is nothing I want more (short of 1 billion dollars) than to get back on stage playing the music I love. 
After the concert I went back to my dorm and thought back to my days in the band Humble Everest.  I will admit, the music we played wasn't the kind I typically listened to.  Despite that fact, I still loved playing and being in front of a crowd.  The rush I get when I'm on stage strumming a chord that resonates with the audience is not comparable to anything else in life that I have previously experienced.
While I was reminiscing to my days in the band, I stumbled across the band's page and watched every last video we ever posted. I'm sad that we no longer make music but I'm grateful for the opportunity that those guys gave me for inviting me to play in their band.

Perhaps in the near future I will be on stage once again.  Whether it be by myself, or with a band, I'm going to make it goal to once again do what I love. Make Music.

364 Days

Today marks 365 days of writing continuously in my journal at the end of the day. I'm sure that there are many of you out there who have attempted the same feat and most likely failed, but I'm sure there are also the many of you who have done the same thing.
I always thought that I would feel extremely accomplished by achieving what many would find as a huge milestone, but I don't. Not right now anyways. I look at my journal right now and see the entire last year of my life summarized into a small book. (2 books actually, a mickey mouse journal, and a small leatherish book.)  I only wish I could have gone into more detail on certain events in my past year that occurred.  I have missed so much of what I experienced.
But for the moments I've missed, I have also recorded some pretty fantastic experiences also. I will never forget somethings, but for the ones I will, I have my journal. Hopefully it's enough.

I have in these past 2 weeks considered not writing in my journal today for various reasons.

1- Better people than I have tried and failed
2- To spite everyone who told me I should do it (I'm a jerk sometimes, I understand that.)
3- I don't want to make it look like I'm perfect (though I am :D  )
4- I... Don't know why else. I just didn't want to.

I'm not going to tell you whether I do write in my journal or not. Use your imagination. :)

Ten Minute Stream of Consciousness

Here I am sitting at my house after a short term at BYU. I made some great friends and I am very excited to see where the fall takes me. I have been very lucky to have met the people I did at the times I did. They came when I needed them most and got me through one of the hardest times of my life. Brandon Hveem, I don't know if you're ever going to read this, but you became one of my best friends very fast. I am forever grateful and always will be that you got me to realize certain things about myself that I wasn't even sure about. 

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I'm sorry, but you're most likely not going to find out. Yes, that goes for you too mom and dad. I love you, but this is stuff that is between me and my friend. Isn't it funny how we have things like that? Things we'll tell our friends, but not our family? I don't know where I'm going with this post. I hope I don't make anyone mad by just writing. Anyways...

 I have decided that I am going to date a ton of people come the beginning of fall semester. I dated maybe one or two girls and I feel that I could have done TONS better. Unfortunately I'm kind of shy, so hopefully I run into girls who will take the initiative to ask me on a date. I'm a weird guy at times. I should probably put on the pants and just grab the girls and tell them they're going to date me. In the nicest way possible of course. 

Maybe at the end of all of this ranting and raving I'll put this all into paragraphs and somewhat organize it.. perhaps not. It's more entertaining to just have a mess.

I hope my workload isn't too bad. Six credits was a breeze and I'm praying that fall is just as easy and that I can stay committed right up to the very end and finish with fantastic grades. I'm also super excited to go on a mission. I actually wish I could go now.

 I just want to get on with the rest of my life right now. People of course will indeed tell me, don't grow up too fast, but I just want to move on and be ready for everything that is going to come. Actually, I hope people don't think that I only want to go so I can move on with everything, I legitimately do in fact want to spread the gospel and grow personally. It's not all selfish motivation for me. 

Well, my ten minutes is up. Perhaps I will have structure next time. 

What Now?

What is the big thing to look forward to now that choir tour is over? (besides graduation) I am not certain.  I cannot help but think that Choir Tour was the highlight of my senior year.  It's sad to think that it has come and passed so quickly. It seems like only yesterday we were leaving for the trip, and now, here I sit in my home babysitting my sister.
This is my final year in high school, my parents home, and with some of my friends that I hold very dear.
What am I to look forward to now? Is this school year's activities and excitements over? All I can do is keep my chin up and make the best that I possibly can out of the remaining two months of high school.
Oh, and I'm 18 now.

Photoblog

My band, "Humble Everest" performing at the Velour in Provo Utah. I love playing  music for a crowd. It gives me a rush that I cannot put into words.

Shaving Skyler's head was our graduation present to him. Though the pigtails are there in the picture, they no longer exist. Unfortunately.

My best friends. We all have matching T Shirts because one of my other good friends got  them for us for Christmas. It was awesome.

Here we are at Temple Square. It was a lot of fun and a great spiritual experience to be able to sing our choir songs for the public. 

We saw it online, and did exactly what it told us not to do. My friends Daniel, Austin, Robert and I all  made these Meat Turtles. We, "Tried this at home" after seeing the idea online.

I just like this picture of me. It makes me look small in perspective to the world and all that it has to offer. All I can do is try my hardest and do my best to make it a better place.

As much as my little sister and I may fight at times, I am truly grateful that we were given each other as siblings. I can only hope that Tyson and Sarah are the same way; if not closer.

The Fifteen Minute Exploration of Bryce Clyde’s Brain

          Before you read this and make the assumption that I am on a mind altering substance, or have gone insane, let me explain what I was writing.  I was on assignment from Mrs. Walker, my Creative Writing teacher, to write a stream of conciousness paper continuously for fifteen minutes without lifting my fingers from the keyboard.  I was assigned a few words to include in my writing from a dictionary, among them are, derringer, Mezuzah, receptacle, and withdraw. Now, without further adue, I present to you, my assignment!

  A derringer is a funny word.  I don’t really know what it is used for, but I know that if I was indeed given one I would probably go crazy with it.  A small pistol, probably used to assassinate important political figures or something like that. Politics… I hate learning about it, but I love being taught by Mr. Alexander.  He’s just so funny and has a dry humor that makes me laugh so much. Another word I was given, (by my friend Nichelle) was Mezuzah, I’m not one hundred percent sure what it was actually used for, all I know is that it is a small container that has something to do with Biblical Passage.  I’m sure they were very important in the time of the Pharoahs and…. Kings and whatnot, but I could really care less that they survived hundreds of years or however long they’ve been around.  Well… that’s not necessarily true…. Because if those things weren’t around the parchment that the Bible was written on could have potentially perished and I would be without a religion! Well… Assuming god didn’t bother to save our race anyways.  Oh! I have a message from my friend. J I’m going to stop writing for two seconds so I can read it, and respond.  Hold on a second Mrs. Walker.  Oh dang. I need to get on my Mr. Payson stuff. Audrey reminded me… I need to make a poster and… what is that thing…. Oh yeah! A Cake.  I am going to make a lion shaped cake, only super freaking awesome because it needs to be so cool that other people want to eat it, and not throw it in a receptacle ;) did you enjoy how I threw in my word I was supposed to use into the sentence and incorporated it? I thought you might.   Oop! Another text.  Brb…. Umm…. Sorry about the Smileys and texting lingo.  My mind is still on it.  I’m not sure if I’m doing this assignment right, but I hope that you accept it! If not then I would definitely be disappointed.  You thought I was going to say, “Cry” didn’t’ you? AHHAHAHHAHAHHAH I fooled you! Do do do….. Not one hundred percent sure what to talk about now…. Hmm… there once was a man who owned a Deringer.  He decided that he was going to go steal the most important Mezuzah in the world from the president.  That bet that John Wilkes boothe used one… anyways… As the man was nearing the president, he decided that it would be better to not go to prison, so he snuck up behind the president and grabbed for the Mezuzah.  Unfortunately he missed and ended up grabbing his wallet. He withdrew the cash that was inside of it, then threw away the wallet.  He then reached for the Mezuzah again.  Just as he was about to grab it the secret service saw him.. They pulled out their Deringer’s and prepared to fire upon him. He surrendered and threw himself at the ground.  It was too late though because my time is up and I’m finished writing :D Goodbye!

Begging: the decay of modern society after your hard earned dollar

Panhandlers make me sick to my stomach. I remember I was much younger, and so much more naive when one day, after exiting the mall into the parking lot with my father after a good time of father/son bonding, a grungy, dirty looking old man approached us.
"Sir, would you happen to have a dollar or two you could spare?" the man seemed honest and almost shy as he spoke, "I was diagnosed with (I don't remember what he said) and I can't pay for the medicine, it could potentially be life threatening if I don't get a hold of it soon." I looked at my dad with a smile because I KNEW my father was a good man and would always help someone in need.
"No," my father quickly stated with confidence and a small touch of anger in his voice. The man looked like he had been punched in the face. He was shocked to have register a negative answer.
"but sir, I..."
"listen buddy," my father interrupted, " I saw you here last week. You came and spoke to me about how you needed money for your child's surgery. I reluctantly gave you five dollars and was pleased with myself." the man was visibly uncomfortable and looked eager to get away.
"Either you're the unluckiest man I have ever met, or you are lying to my face." with these words the man turned and walked away. I looked at my dad shocked at what had just transpired before my eyes. He then went on to tell me about how the man had been at the mall for two weeks now. He warned me about giving money to "homeless" people. You never know who's lying, and who's telling the truth.
I have, since these past events, not trusted donating, or, giving money to Panhandlers, or even some so called "charities." how do I KNOW they aren't just dressed up looking for an easy dollar? I can't know. But what about the REAL homeless, and the real people who are taking the time to beg to survive?
I personally believe that if an honest beggar is willing to take the time to stand outside of a public area for hours on end holding up a cup for strangers to put money into, then they are fully capable to go out and find work. Some may argue that some aren't able because of the lack of professional skills, or perhaps they are physically disabled or even mentally Ill. Well, if that be the case, then tell somebody about it. Go to the police, the homeless shelter, someone who can help. Don't give them money based on trust. In these days we live in you almost cannot even trust your next door neighbor; he could be a con man looking to rob you of your money!
some may question how I would fix this problem if I were given the opportunity. Well, it's simple really, make it illegal. Pass an ordinate/law that prohibits panhandling of all forms. What better way to discourage dishonest behavior then to make it illegal?
I know there will be some who don't agree with me, but I just felt that I had to get my opinion out in the open. If someone is in genuine need, they will seek out help where it can best happen, such as a homeless shelter, or even the department of workforce services, or whatever that place is. If I had the power, begging would be illegal. But I don't have the power. So I ask you, before you give a dollar to the next homeless person, think about how long they have been standing in one place while they could have been out doing something of actual worth, contributing to society? Too long.