Raggman84

I remember the days of being a teenager in JR. high and high school. There was the issue of being stuck in the middle of transforming into a man. All these various changes seem to happen so quickly. The problems with acne, mood swings, and the stress of trying to fit in. Along with this stress comes the added unfortunate reality that the public school system is designed for a true left brained early bird. Classes generally started around 7:30 a.m. During the first few hours of the morning most people constantly yawned as they slowly walked to class. The Lucky ones had P.E. in the morning. They could start the day with stretches, exercises and racket sports as they woke up for the day. For the rest of the students though the first hour of the day consisted of sitting in a rather quiet class room with a teacher who more than likely didn't major in the subject they were hired to teach. The worst teachers wouldn't teach at all but would instead just tell the students to read chapters in a book, memorize vocabulary and answer the questions at the end of each chapter. As the class worked the teacher would pretend to work while playing solitaire or some other computer game. The okay teacher would lecture from notes they prepared seven years prior when the school last updated text books. The awesome teacher actually did major in the subject they are hired to teach and has a passion for the subject. They do more than just teach from the book but bring in other examples. As they lecture they allow group conversation and participation to help students understand the subject matter. Every once in awhile there was an awesome teacher but for the most part the teachers weren't very good. Students had trouble with the required subjects for reasons that most of the teachers didn't actually teach. Aesa your son may not be doing well in school because he is a stressed out, sleep deprived teen who can't concentrate because he is tired and the teachers aren't teaching effectivily. When teachers don't teach only the left brained who are excellent at memorizing lists and facts will truly succeed.

JBS I know how that feels man. This is why so many general authorities of the church keep telling us single adults to not just hang out. In my Singles branch I have seen guys and girls who are constant companions to each other but somehow aren't dating. They sit really close to each other. The guy may even put his arm around her. To everyone else it looks like they are dating. However if asked if they are dating they will smile and say " Oh no she isn't my girlfriend we are just friends." Other guys won't bother to ask the girl out because of the appearance of a relationship that isn't really there. Even if it is known that a certain guy and girl aren't dating it would be awkward to date a girl who has a strong emotional attachment to another guy. The guy in this illusion of a relationship may have problems dating other girls because he seems so attached to a girl who he is apparently not dating. When a guy and a girl who are good friends find themselves spending a great deal of time together they should either consider themselves a couple or spend less time with each other. Otherwise they are wasting each others time and confusing everyone around them. JBS I wouldn't worry terribly about classes of society. You just need to find a girl who likes you for you.

That's cool. Most of my family that I'm visit live in or around Pocatello.

Well That's cool. I used to be a total night owl. I really can't get back into that old sleeping habit. I have to be awake and alert for when school starts up again. Although I guess It's okay for now. I'm on break right now. I will be going on a trip to visit some family in Idaho. Just as long as I'm reset in time for when I start working and school begins..

Yeah I promised my Journalism Professor who is also my advisor that I wouldn't do any more social anxiety experiments like this. Unless there is a festive reason to dress up then I will. Ultimately his concern was the people I would be interviewing. Getting interviewed for even a small publication is already weird enough. Having the reporter in a strange costume would weird them out even more.

I just got it from the Costume section from WalMart. It was $7 because it's made from Polyester. Although one day I would like to get a real old fashioned style top hat. Here is the other Costume I kind of weirded people out with. There were a few deaths in my family so to kind of show my emotion I created tears of Fire. The Jester hat has a switch on the inside, which make the bulbs at the end blink.

I come here off and on. Although of all the LDS forums I've belonged to this is the only one that is up and running with a bunch of conversation. Others have either shut down or people lose interest and stop posting.

So first is my Willy Wonka/ Mad Hatter look, which I am most "famous" for at my Community College. It started out as something I forced myself to wear just on the week of Halloween. Eventually I forced myself to wear my hat once a week. First it was Fun Hat Friday and then Later Top Hat Tuesday

I want to get into Journalism, which usually requires being outgoing. There are some positions that people can be a little less out going but I would prefer to become outgoing and have a more exciting position in the field of Journalism. I just reset my password for photobucket so I'll try to post some of the Costumes caught on camera

Being Energetic can be good though. I've been trying to loosen up and get passed my social anxiety issues. I have come a long way but I have much more to travel. I forgot my password for photo bucket. Maybe later I can post some pictures of some of the strange outfits I have worn to school. Since it's a Community College in the Seattle area no one was Terribly weirded out. Over all it was good to force myself to stand out a bit more and force others to give me a 2nd glance to make sure that they weren't dreaming.

I clicked on your profile it's really awesome and a little hypnotic. Yeah Techno Music is cool. I use to listen to it to zone out to write poetry. Of course this was when I needed to write for a grade. Now I write whenever I really feel the need. I would sometimes dance when No one was looking I take it you alter and create the techno tunes yourself eh?

That's cool. I'm cool with listening to music but I've never really been musically talented. When It comes to singing I will only do it when there are a bunch of other guys around who are also singing. I always joke that I have a blending Bass voice. Meaning that It kind of blends in with the rest but isn't meant to solo.

I think anyone can write poetry but it's just a matter of finding their own personal style. Honestly I kind of hated poetry until I took a poetry class in High School. I only took the poetry class because I knew the teacher and thought he was cool. I learned that Poetry and writing in general is a gateway to express my emotions. In fact in some of my sessions with my councilor we did some writing exercises. She told me that It was hard for her to get through to see the real me with the questions and answers. She could see in my writing that although I might play with words I wouldn't joke around with how I felt. At that point we started working on trying to break down the emotional walls so that we could find out who I really am underneath.

Not sure why the font changed at the end but it's all good. Here is the Poem I wrote after the relationship was over. fLying Singing Bird Look at that young singing bird singing in my tree Singing of adventures crossing great lakes and streams Those wonderful singing stories sound so good to me I spent much time planting gardens while listening to her sing I felt such joy I began to sing along with these joyful dreams We had great times singing away with bright glowing sunsets to end our days Look at those gusts of wind shaking leaves free Look at those branches snapping off my tree Look at that singing bird falling down to me She didn’t even try to flap those wings of hers That singing bird never took the time to learn to fly Sadly all those singing stories were nothing but lies Look at that singing bird walking down street Watch those crows and seagulls steal her lunch eat I throw out birdseed hoping she can eat Look at that singing bird walking up the street Look at that singing bird disappearing down the hill I wonder where she’s going without birdseed in her beak I sit all alone in a frozen winters garden without hearing a peep I can’t wait for that golden spring sun to shine I will watch yellow tulips bloom as the real singing birds land in my tree

Okay so here is the first poem. FYI I am a little bit color blind but it's not terribly bad. I just have issues with certain issues of purple, blue and grays. Calm Glowing Sunset in my Soul I do not know if the daisy in my garden Is purple lavender or blue Sadly I will never know with slight colorblind eyes What I do know is that I love spending time with you Seeing your sparkling green eyes shine As you laugh and smile the day with me When I see your smile I feel joyful When I look into your eyes I feel at peace When I hear you laugh I begin to laugh with you Whenever I am with you I feel a calm glowing sunset in my soul When our day is over I feel the glow slowly melt away As I look forward to seeing you again another day On days without sunsets My thoughts dwell on you greatly Wishing you were with me to share time once more

I'll tell you what I'll do though. I'll post two other poems. One poem I wrote for an Ex girlfriend and then another poem I wrote after she broke up with me. It will be kind of like The Wedding Singer but without the cursing.

No I'm here I looked over the poem and it looks kind of cheesy. It makes reference to things that only the person I wrote it for would know and understand. To an outsider it would be kind of blah...

Well Actually Gomezy3k I'm still working on my problems. Things are much better for me now but I am still working on many issues. Honestly I feel that I just got lucky. The medications mixed well with my personal body chemistry. I've read about people who were on the same exact medication but in one form or another it didn't work for them. I was also lucky to find a school counselor who actually cared. I was glad to have found this counselor when I did. One of my cousins passed away a few weeks after I started to see this counselor. She put what we were working on aside and she helped me to see that grieving was normal and what I felt was normal. The Medication that was right for me helped me feel the emotion and the Counselor helped me understand the emotion. On a previous occasion I did see an LDS counselor through the LDS social services for a very short time. We didn't truly have enough sessions to truly get into depth about what my main issues were. However he could tell that I was depressed. One good piece of information and advice that he gave me was this. When You are depressed it is hard to truly feel and be in touch with your emotions. If it is hard to feel your emotions than it is also hard to feel the spirit. We don't think the spirit we feel the spirit. Like I said though I've just been lucky. A few years down the road I had enough of the depression and was lucky to find a medication that helped open the doors to my emotions. A little bit further down the road I found a counselor that helped me understand them.

That's good that you have this desire. You are right it can be a tool to help others become closer. One of the reasons for the newsletter was so it could be given to less active members. Some people don't really want to attend church but are totally cool with an occasional visit and a newsletter in the mail. To get a newsletter started there has to be a true plan and a support system to keep it up and running. If it lacks a real plan or a lack of desire to keep things moving everything will slow down and fall apart. Pushka I wish you the best of luck on making a successful newsletter.

This guy may have been watching too much Pirates of the Caribbean. How Jack Sparrow was branded with a "P" Just because somebody has a tattoo doesn't mean that they are a bad person. I have a brother in law that is a convert to the church. He once lived a different life style and has a tattoo. He is a temple worthy man. Although it's nice to have participation in the class I think sometimes people cross a line and they don't know it. I have a good friend who does go to church but sometimes has trouble attending the Relief Society because of some overly judgmental comments that she has heard over the years. I've heard some rather off the wall or overly judgmental comments in Sunday School and Priesthood too. It's always nice when somebody nicely corrects things. It is unfortunate when people become offended and become so offended that they are unsure about fully participating in church.

I was in charge of the Branch's news letter. Technically I still am but my co. editor and others who once worked with me were taken away for other callings. I had been told that they would find some replacements for me this never happened. I talked to my Branch President the other day. I told him of my concerns about the newsletter and how it's been put on the back burner for some time now. I was not certain if there was any future plans to bring it back or not. I requested that if I there were no solid plans for the newsletter that I would be given another Calling. He apologized for himself and on behalf of his councilors for dropping the ball on this. He told me that he would bring it up next Sunday and later on we would have an in depth discussion on how to run the newsletter and what should be in it. We would take a look at the people who are expected to stick around and try to find some people to help out with the newsletter. When the newsletter was up and running one of my duties was to interview a member of a the branch for the monthly spotlight. I enjoyed doing it because it forced me to speak and come up with creative and fun questions to ask during the interview. The members enjoyed reading about fellow members of the branch. It allowed them to see the goals, hobbies and everyday life of someone that they may not have really known about. It also helped everyone to see that so many of us are unique yet also very much alike. This became one of many tools that helped break up some of the major cliques in the branch. I'll be glad once the newsletter is up and running again. Not only is it fun to do but having an active calling in the branch gives me even more intensive to remain active and involved.

I come on this site from time to time. Recently I have read some of the very interesting debates. As long as they don't get too heated I keep reading. For some of the threads I don't feel that I have enough knowledge on the matter to truly add in my two cents worth. I was very shy, had a gloomy outlook on life and was not very focused on much of anything. I didn't totally know it at the time but I had a pretty bad case of Social Anxiety, Depression and A.D.D. which can many times be all linked together When I first began attending my Stake's YSA branch everything was very cliquey. For the EQ Presidency as well as the Branch Presidency it was a nightmare to figure out who was inactive and who had gone away to school but didn't bother to have the church records switched over to his or her new ward. Since it was so cliquey there wasn't a strong network of people to notice when someone didn't show up for awhile. No one would bother to call and ask how they were doing and what they were up to. It was very hard for me to fit in because I was shy and it was really hard to make friends when sometimes they would talk to me and then other times they would not. The Activities weren't well organized and for that reason not as many people would show up. When people did show only half would be interested in actually participating. Thanks to the overall attitude of the branch it was hard to really plan for activities and it became understandable as to why the activities weren't well organized. I think many of the activity members just kind of gave up and began to do the bare minimum. For whatever reason many people seemed to feel somehow offended or held some kind of grudge against the Branch President. I already had a negative outlook on life. With all these cliques and various grudges it didn't seem to be a very pleasant and welcoming branch. I didn't go completely inactive but I would choose not to go to church for awhile and then I would go. I was disappointed at how everything pretty much seemed exactly the same. Everyone sat in the same seats. The announcements for activities were many times " Well we aren't totally sure what we are doing but just show up and have some fun." It almost seemed like an unreal virtual reality video game. Everything was set up exactly the same each time no matter, where or when you started playing. As I continually did my usual 2 - 3 Sundays off and 1 - 2 Sundays on eventually something NEW HAPPENED! The Stake Presidency was there sitting next to the usual Branch Presidency. To the side sat some other men who I hadn't ever met before. The Stake Presidency was there to announce that our Branch President and Counselors were being released and that a new Branch presidency would then take their place. This new Presidency really changed things up. They brought new ideas for activities and how to run the branch. It took some time and some effort from everyone but eventually the cliques began to break up. People who were friends from before were still friends but now all the little clique bubbles were being popped. People who didn't realize that they were being snobby and cliquey began to see how things really were. Everyone began to get along much better. There is always room for more improvement but things are so much better now than they were in the past. This Branch President really made an effort to get to know everyone who ever stepped foot into our Singles branch. He set up a movable magnetic name and picture board in his office. By doing this he could know the name and face. This also helped out with planning callings. The current Branch President also gave me some great advice. He told me that I shouldn't hesitate to receive medical treatment for depression. I took his advice and my outlook on life changed. It all changed at just the right time when the Branch was changing to become more welcoming. I was able to make some new friends and finally felt that I fit in. I was on an Anti Depressant for about 2 years. I am now off that but I am currently on a medication to aid me with A.D.D. and now I can concentrate much better. Although I will say that I may not have taken my Branch Presidents advice had I not hit rock bottom or rather hit what I felt was Rock Bottom. I was in between jobs for almost 6 months. I finally ended up getting a new job but the guy in charge didn't seem to like me very much and even though this company was supposed to have an awesome training program there was no awesome training going on for me. The supposed trainer had some issues of his own. He was an older man just waiting for retirement. He had no patience for me. My so called supervisor was also an older guy. He was only around at the tail end of my shift. I worked night shift and he worked day shift so there was really only 30 minutes when we were on at the same time. Things just didn't work out. Maybe if some of my issues were being treated I would still be working there but then again the guys in charge weren't really training like how the company documents said they would. I was constantly being exposed to chemicals that had the potential to cause Cancer and other diseases so I guess it was better that it didn't work out so I wasn't exposed to those things for a long period of time. Anyway I guess my stubborn self had to go through some disappointments before I truly took to heart the advice to get some extra help. I have seen time and again that I can't go solo. I need help from others and I need help of modern day medicine to keep things balanced. I now go to church very regularly. I attend the activities. Right now I'm working on becoming a little more outgoing. It's too easy to fall into a comfort zone. Sadly that's how cliques are formed. I don't want to become what I hated most so I try my best to get to know the newer members or to talk to people I don't know very well.

I attend a singles branch and although people do hook up and get married it doesn't necessarily mean that there is a ton of pressure to get married. I feel the whole point of going to a YSA ward is to allow the young single adults to feel more comfortable going to church. If they happen to get married along the way then good for them. I tried staying with the home ward for awhile. I served as the Elders Quorum secretary and that was kind of fun. I thought it was kind of cool that many of my former youth leaders taught Sunday School or had some kind of roll in the Elders quorum. As time went on though I began to feel out of place. There weren't many people around my age. Those that were around my age were newly weds and it was kind of awkward for a young single guy to try to hang out with a newly married guy. We were in different stages in life so we didn't totally relate. I eventually moved to the local Single Branch. Honestly it was kind of cliquey for the first bit. Once we ended up getting a new Branch presidency though they switched some tings up and the cliques began to break up and people got along. Even when it was all cliquey I still felt more comfortable in a singles branch with people closer to my age that I could relate to.

An old friend of mine married in his late teens He had two little girls. He found out that his wife had been cheating on him. He forgave her the first time but the second time it was over. He eventually met a lovely lady who had a little boy around the same age my friend's little girls. I think within less than a year they were married. Eventually they were all sealed in the temple. I have an Aunt who's husband foolishly divorced her, left the country and married another woman. He left behind all his children and everything. A few years later my Aunt married another man and after 13 years of marriage they are still together. My Aunt has been in contact with her first husband over the internet. He wishes that he could go back and stop himself from doing what he did. What's done is done though. Sometimes people do some foolish things. Other times things just happen putting people in a situation of being a single parent. Once someone becomes a single parent it doesn't mean they will be a single parent forever.

I find it interesting that some of you are freaking out about the fact that Mormongirl02 is restricted to 30 minutes of internet time per day. A few years back I heard on the radio some basic business tips on how to better manage your time. One tip was directed to people who felt they were spending a little too much time with e-mail and web surfing. This tip is exactly what Mormongirl02 is doing. Find one moment of personal time during the day for e-mail and surfing the web. On T.V. I have seen many occasions where people felt they were extremely busy and didn't have as much time as they liked to spend time with family or do things that they wanted to do. These supposed busy people were asked to keep a record of their time every day for a week or so to see what there daily routine and habits were. The majority of the time it was found that in between the times of actual work there they were wasting all kinds of time watching T.V., reading magazines, books,surfing the web and taking naps. After being shown the data the "busy" person saw that they weren't really all that busy after all. At that point the same person who gave them the time keeping assignment would then help weed out the things that weren't very important. The time adviser would then work with the person to plan out the day. After doing all this the person formally known as a stressed out busy person became a person with a well balanced day. They had more than enough time to get the required things done. They had more time to spend with family. They had alone time for themselves and alone time with their spouse and they had a better more fulfilling night sleep each night. Mormongirl02: I truly applaud your efforts to go along with the 30 minute internet plan. For all those who are in shock and feel that a 30 minute restriction on personal web surfing is totally unfair: I suggest you truly look at how you spend your time. The leaders of our church have warned us not to allow the virtual world of internet, T.V. and video games to become our reality. If the internet is sucking up a large portion of your time then maybe it is time to unplug yourself from the virtual world and reclaim your humanity.