ATTENTION!!!!

If anyone happens to read this and still reads blogs, I'm posting here now-

http://andrewstheopenuniverse.blogspot.com/

Anyone who would like to read a less profane version should go here-

http://andrewstheopenuniversecv.blogspot.com/

Have a nice day!

Dang... it's been a while since I've been on here... I mean, I've actually been on my dashboard a couple of times, but it's been a while since I posted. The lame thing is, all the people who I follow haven't been on either. They've all pretty much stopped. I, however, both want and need to keep writing, lest I degenerate into one of those kids who everyone makes fun of on a fail blog or humor site. I'll post share this on Facebook to see if anyone still reads it, but if not, ah well. It is nice to have people read what I come up with, but it's more satisfying just to know I was a little less lazy than usual and did something productive. If I can feel proud of it, that's a bonus.

Guess who's back, back again? Andy's back! Tell a friend.

Dang! It's been FO-EVA since I've written on this! I really need to start writing more often! I got soooooo many lyrics that I've been writing, so many stories and plays and other such things brewing' and stormin in my head! I need to release them! So anyway, seeing as how it is very late on this Sunday night, this will be short. But anyways, so I'll just leave you with a little thought that I will build upon next week. Is there any sort of song that means something different now than it did a while ago or as sng that has a meaning at all now? This is what has happened with me recently. It started last December when my parents left the Vhurch. (LDS, for those who, for some reason, may be wondering.) I'm fine now, but at that time, it was really hard on me. It was like I hadFINALLY built up my strong and mighty castle and an earthquake came soon after to tear it down. Since then, I have been questioning all sorts of things relating to religion and the LDS Church. Since then, I still believe in this Church, but I have changed ever so slightly, mostly in opinions. Ah, this will actually lead into one such song I want to talk about. As much as I think religion can be a great thing, I honestly do not like religion, or at least as it is today. I still believe in many things a religion will teach, but I've kinda come to resent some things about religion. I think the world would be better off without it. There are so many things about it that I don't like. Actually, I don't wish that. What I wish is that people would stop being bigoted to each other and just be friends and love each other no matter WHAT the religion is. It amazes me just how conditional the love in our family is since my parents have apostized. God taught us to love EVERYBODY. Argh. Can you tell I'm a bit mad right now? Anyway, so despite the fact that there is so much good relating with religion, I just sometimes wish that it would go away. Actually, I just wish people would follow the core teachings of it a whole lot better.

So the sng I will show you tonight is called Evil Angel, by Breaking Benjamin. I recently heard this song a bit ago and I now see meaning behind it. I will talk about it next week, so as to let you figure a meaning out for yourself.

Hold it together, birds of a feather
Nothing but lies and crooked wings
I have the answer spreading the cancer
You are the faith inside me

No, don't leave me to die here
Help me survive here alone
No, don't remember, remember

Put me to sleep, evil angel
Open your wings, evil angel

I'm a believer, nothing could be worse
All these imaginary friends
Hiding betrayal, driving the nail
Hoping to find a savior

No, don't leave me to die here
Help me survive here alone
Don't surrender, surrender

Put me to sleep, evil angel
Open your wings, evil angel
Fly over me, evil angel
Why can't I breathe, evil angel?

Put me to sleep, evil angel
Open your wings, evil angel
Fly over me, evil angel
Why can't I breathe, evil angel?

Happy! :D

"Happiness hit her like a train on a track." -Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine.

This quote above describes my life where it's at now. I'm not a pessimist, but I never expected my life to get so great this fast. I have always had friends, but after one week of high school, I actually started to hang out with a group. The people I knew for quite awhile actually accepted me easily. It's like they were waiting for me to do something and when I finally did, they accepted it. The people I now know are just such great people! They actually care about me and call me their friend. I don't mean to sound deprived or whatever, but seriously, I have not had this much social activity for a long time so often. There have been many days where I sat alone. I just never knew what was right in front of my face! Then I met Serena, the first person that I was able to get a phone number from in a long while. (I wasn't even asking for it either.) Then that led me to start crawling out of my shell. It was a slow process, but it happened. I actually talked to people very soon after. As soon as I got the guts to, I started to socialize at lunch. I know it may seem ridiculous, claiming that it's so hard to just sit at another table, but for me, it was. Thankfully, it no longer is. Then summer hit. I mostly hung out with Brayden every day. Got bored sometimes, went crazy on others, but that's another story. Then, the first week of school hit. Nothing really happened. It was a good week, but the best of it came on Friday AFTER school. That was when I actually spent a while with a group of friends. Then came the football game, same thing there. I felt stellar! I felt like I was actually noticed more than it seemed, like people WANTED to be my friend. Again, this may sound cheesy or corny, but I really don't care because that is one of the few things I am sometimes, cheesy and corny. Truth is, I am slightly insecure. I sometimes feel I'm too loud or to weird for anybody to want to hang out with me, and I know I am definitely those two things under certain circumstances, which is mostly when I'm with friends. I've even gone so far as to ask "I'm not annoying you, am I?" I was told so many times that I was annoying during elementary school, even by my friends. One of my friends even wrote me a note saying that if I didn't stop with the behavior, he would no longer be my friend. I was so sad and angry at him because of this. He soon turned his attitude around and we are still friends. My other friend, however, never turned his attitude around by the time I moved. He thought I was annoying and a bunch of other things I can't remember. (I think "poser" was one of them.) I might have actually been annoying, but I didn't deserve one thing he did to me. I forgive him now, but he made some bad choices when it came to me. There was another kid even he hated though, and he, out of everyone, was my worst bully. He even made me cry sometimes! I was so glad when I got away from elementary school. I forgive him as well, but again, stupid mistakes were made.

So what I'm trying to say is that after self-isolation and endless insult in the fifth and sixth grade, I turned into what I used to be, an insecure hermit. I'm still afraid of what people may think of me, but I can always be reassured that my friends are good people who don't care if I'm a little too loud and whatnot.

I was once told by a friend that I looked depressed whenever I sat alone. Because of this, he sometimes calls me Mr. Depression. Truth is, some days were depressing. My life was not going the way I wanted it too. It's not like it was all a miserable, depressing time, it just could have been better. But ever since I've been surrounded by friends, my happiness has been off the charts! At EFY, we were given a lesson on learning to recognize God's hand in our life. At the time, I couldn't think of anything like that. I knew he blessed me with a house and other such luxuries, but I couldn't think of any personal things that have been done. I was so ignorant that day. I can think of plenty of things now that have been done for me. Meeting Serena and Brayden, getting to be an AL for Mrs.Nelson, my growing confidence, the way my grades were raised and more. The list just goes on and on. Today, I've seen God's hand in my life even more. The first way is pretty obvious. I now have friends I talk to every day. The day I was finally able to meet Serena after like three months is another example. I could go on and on. By these things I now know that God truly does care for every one of us. He knows what we want, what we need, and what things make us happy. I've thanked God every day for the friends that have come into my life. I am so blessed to know such wonderful people! I could say it over and over again and I would always mean it. (Here's something else about me. I give out compliments very generously. I'm always afraid I'll overdo it.)

My subconscious goal has been to be a friend to everybody. For the first time in my life, I'm doing it! I've befriended a new student, I've made friends with people I never knew, and I feel great. I want everybody to know that if they ever need me for whatever reason, I will be there for them. Don't be afraid to come to me if you need somebody to talk to about something or just to have somebody listen. Oh, and if you read this blog, TELL ME! It's like I'm speaking to one person 80% of the time. (Thank-you Serena.)

Back Again...For About Twenty Minutes. (Hello My EFY Comrades.)

(Skip down past the paragraph and extra two sentances. It will make more sense. I'm only keeping this first part to keep the authenticity of the post alive. This is sort of like a journal after all.)
For this past week, I have been at EFY. I met some friends there and I have now set up a Facebook account. Luckily, my name was available, so it's just Andrew (Last Name.) So for those of you who were referred to this site, go ahead and find me. To everyone else, go ahead and find me if you like. I really can't stay much longer though, so I'm going to get out a thing I wanted to say. (This is to my friends from school.) The week before EFY, I regretted not trying to get ahold of anyone so if anyone feels like texting me (or using Facebook, doesn't matter), go ahead, but I'll be in Wyoming for a week. See ya! You're awesome people!

By the way, for those reading this, my avatar is a guy with extremelly big headphones. It's somewhere in the sidebar on this blog.
Okay, now that I have time to write this, I'll explain myself. At EFY, I met some people, and the way best way to stay connected was through Facebook. So although my usage of it may be low, I created a new account using my name. As it turns out, many people can use the same name. It makes sense actually. I tried to find myself on my mom's account and as it turns out, I'm REALLY hard to find. So if anyone is trying to find me, then good luck. My avatar is a guy with big headphones. You can see him in the sidebar on this blog. Also, to those who have been reffered to this site, if you've got some time to spare, go ahead and read this blog. I must warn you though, some of the more current posts are a little- ahh, how do I put it? Mushy maybe? If you like music though, you should enjoy this. Feel free to comment as well.
As for the two people who actually read this, (and the four or so who might read this, or anyone who has my phone number for that matter,) I'm sorry I haven't kept up my communication with you. I don't know, maybe you were busy or you don't really care, but that was the one this I was regretting the week before EFY. So if anyone wants to talk to me, go ahead and text me. (Or Facebook if you can find me.) I'm sitting in my Grandma's house right now talking to my two cousins and my brother. The Lincoln County Fair is this week, and in all honesty, it's even better than the Davis County Fair. They had an illusionist last year and The Colors performed the year before that. (They're from Kaysville AND they went to Davis High!) Hope your summers are are going great. And you're all awesome! Bye!

The Art of Dance

Music in itself is amazing. All the ways it can be done, all the enchanting poetry weaved within the notes, and just what it makes your mind do are all incredibly. I honestly don't think some people could live without music. It's that important. One other thing that makes music amazing is the ways it can be physical shown. Whether it be through art, a story, or in this case, dance. Dancing is just one of the ways a person let's the music flow through the body and shows it through action. Music can be so much better when danced to. Through dance, we learn things about music and ourselves that music alone can't teach. I don't dance, but I love watching it occasionally and it's become a lot more interesting over the past few days. (And I'm thinking I'd like to learn it sometime.)

One reason for this is because "So You Think You Can Dance" has been playing on Fox 13 for some time now, and my Mom has gotten me to watch it a little bit. The first time she got me to watch the show was when she came in with little tears in her eyes. She told me she had just watched this dance like three times previously, all of which made her cry. She said it was very beautiful and that I should see it. What I watched, although it didn't make me cry, gave me shivers down my spine. That normally means what I'm watching or listening to is truly amazing or beautiful. It was a story of two living statues that fall in love. Although this may seem a little weird at first, it's a real heart-felt dance. For your convenience, I have placed that dance below. The song is "Turn to Stone" by Ingrid Michaelson. The style of dance they are doing is contemporary. Enjoy.

The song is very good, but the dance makes it way better! Although these two statues are slowly turning back into stone, they will always be together. Love can't keep these two apart, and that's the beauty of it. You kind of forget the fact that statues are inanimate objects and just concentrate on the bond love.

The next dance is preformed by the same group as before, Melanie and Marko. This time, the song is Leona Lewis' "I Got You." (This is the same person who performed "Bleeding Love" which was on the radio a while back for some time.) The dance style is lyrical hip-hop. This dance centers around a groom and his friend. (She isn't the bride.) The groom has been dumped by his bride to be and now, as most would guess, he is in tears. As he sits alone, along comes his friend who I assume has known him for a long time. The friend walks over and comforts her emotionally distressed friend. This dance, like the last one, made my Mom cry and re-watch it. I personally think this one trumps the last one. Let's see what you think.

Were you surprised by the outcome? I sure was. This dance was performed perfectly. Not only was the dance executed with the skill intended, but the acted and the way the danced made it believable. You can be the world's greatest dancer, have the most beautiful story, and even have a perfect dance routine, but if you don't try all you can to make it believable, it will do you no good. There is one dance from this same episode, but I can't remember who did it. The idea of it was letting someone go. To show this, they had the girl tied up in a large length off cloth and slowly, she would be untied and become free from the man holding to the cloth. Although this was an excellent idea, it didn't seem believable to me. There wasn't much emotion it it. It looked like the guy was playing with the rope. They had the skill, but the acting and emotion just wasn't there.

This piece, however, had plenty of that. You could sense the bond these two had. The expressions on the faces clearly showed what emotions were going on. Without them, this piece wouldn't have been nearly as good. Also, the actions made sense. It annoys me when dances don't make sense. If you do a flip, there had better be a good reason for it. The dance didn't make sense at first. I couldn't fit why they were doing all these things. Then, I heard what the judges had to say and watched it again, it made sense. The girl feels for her friend and she loves him. She raises him up, comforts him, and keeps him from falling. The guy loves her too, although he doesn't realize it yet. (Maybe the girl didn't either.) They both understand each other. (This may explain the harmonious movement.) This dance conveys many things. Friendship, comfort, sorrow, joy, and most of all, love. You can really see a shift in emotion at the last scene when she walks away. Being able to raise her friend out of sorrow, she leaves. The man, taking a deep breath, looks over and finally realizes his true love. He runs over (well, slides over) and kisses his friend. The following dance shows a new set of emotion as they embrace each other. This is a realization of true love and the joy that comes with it. I have watched this dance at least ten times now and still haven't gotten tired of the song or the dance. Both are beautiful and I can relate to them. This is what dance is. Beautiful and wonderful.

Unfortunately, like so many other things in this world, dance has been infested with the evil of the world. How anyone can make such a mockery of a Heavenly art is beyond me, but they do. Fortunately, we still have dance like this to remind us how good it can be.

The Best Year Ever.

This ninth grade year has been bittersweet. It has been a love and a hate. It has been a battle and a journey. I have been faced with much adversity and have drowned in all the blessings I've been given. Overall, I look back at ninth grade as a great year. There are some things I regret and a whole lot more things I don't regret. I learned and improved some things. It's a sure thing to say that I grew a lot this year.

As I type up words over and over again, I keep trying to create a good order. I was going to write up about my classes, but that wouldn't get to my main point. I was then thinking about dedicating half of this post to seminary, but that wouldn't fit either. So, with a writer's block threatening to stop me cold, I'm going to get right to the point. My friends are one of the main reasons my year was so great. If it wasn't for all the support and companionship I gained this year, it would have nearly sucked. Writing wouldn't have meant nearly anything to me. A lot of my classes would have been lonely periods stuck in a chair. The only thing left would have been seminary. There were some hard times that I went through. I felt misery, depression, and sorrow during this year and you were the ones that outweighed it all. It was hard to stay miserable when I knew that I had friends that cared for me. This year, I've grown out of my secluded shell of silence. I'm a lot more open than I used to be and I can finally say I am no longer shy. Again, I thank all of my friends for this.

During the second term, I met Brayden who became my friend really fast. My mom says it's unusual that we're friends because we're so different. For instance, I was shy and he was the complete opposite. He could turn around and start a conversation with the person behind him. It's as if he was born that way, always being open and friendly when it was a growing process for me. He's even asked for some money from strangers before. He's the one who gets me out of my comfort zone a little. He's made me socialize a little bit and has made me do things I normally wouldn't do, such as hiking in the mud. I've only seen him act shy once and it was I who had to get him to act. He is extremely loyal. He hasn't left me for anything, not for his teachers quorum, not for other friends, not even for someone he likes! That is pretty impressive and I thank him so much for that.

Forth term is when things started to really get going. This is where I started talking to Serena. She has been reading an commenting on my blog and I had previously met her in seminary, but this is where I really started talking to her. She has makes me laugh and makes me so happy, it's impossible to stay sad when she's around. She's forgiving, kind, funny, a really good writer and I'm so glad that she's my friend.

I then met Julia and Mitchell who both make me laugh a lot. Surprisingly, I met all three in the same class, creative writing. All four of us would make a square in the corner of the room and it was fun. I looked forward to the class because of those people even more than I did for the writing. This was the one class where I socialized to a big extent and we were even told to shut up a few times which was a rare occurrence for me. I'm always respectfully quiet during class. I still talk, but it's always during a discussion or when I raise my hand. I guess the only reason for that was because I didn't really have anyone to talk to or if I did, they were too far away. I had expected CW to be one of my favorite classes, but not for different reasons. I did not expect that class to be where I made friends. Not at all.

Alex, another girl that also blogs and reads mine, is a good friend. Although I had no classes with her, I got to know her through her writing and I will miss her next year at Davis.

I have made so many other friends this year. It's amazing, actually. I will hopefully get to know them better than I already do as time passes by. People such as Bradley, Clytie, Chandler, Makayla, Shawn, Lauren (a guy,) and Ana. (Although, I think it's going to be awhile before I see her again.) I am so glad I met these people. (If I didn't mention you, then please forgive me because things will slip my mind sometimes. Trust me though, I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU!)

It has taken awhile to find friends that accept me for who I am and will actually socialize with me. Learning from past mistakes, I am now trying my best to hold on to these friendships instead of letting them past by like I let a few do in the past.

It makes me very sad to know that I will not be seeing a lot of my friends at Davis. I want you all to know that you have changed me for the better and I am so grateful that I met you all. I hope we can remain friends even when we don't go to the same schools. I just wish you could crawl into my mind so you could know everything I wish to say. Thank-you all for awakening the side of me that I lost or that has been revealed for the first time. It has been a divine blessing from God for you to be my friend and I am privileged to be yours. NEVER STOP BEING YOU! That is what makes you all amazing!