Osmosis of Science Knowledge.

I have now taken the ACT test three times. Once as a sophomore, once as a junior, and now once as a senior.

As a sophomore I scored a composite 30. I was thrilled with this score, and even more exciting was the well-roundedness of my score. My lowest sub-score (the subgroups are English, Math, Reading, and Science/Reasoning) was a 28 and my high a 31.

My junior year I scored a composite 31, which I was, again, very happy about. Unfortunately, my science sub-score dropped one point from a 30 as a sophomore to a 29, but I compensated by jumping my English score from a 30 to a 34.

Today I got my scores for the test. I scored a composite 31. Again. I know it is still a good score, but I'm really frustrated with myself. My science sub-score was a 25.

Twenty-five.

My stellar english score also dropped from a 34 to a 33. I really am not disappointed in the score itself. It's going to get me into BYU, which has been the goal since forever. I'm probably going to get a scholarship too, which is very good. I'm just disappointed in myself. If I had simply matched my score on the science portion from my sophomore year, I would have the 32 I was shooting for.

English Muffins! (That's my new curse word.)

Poetry is Beautiful

The still sounds of a rainstorm speak.
They speak truth,
Bang
Swish.
Pitter patter.

My heart sings the song of eternity,
The anguish of a broken soul,
The rush of life coming fast,
The redeeming song of light.

Stand back up,
Run a mile,
Express some thanks,
Give a hug,
Close your eyes,
Vent some feelings,
Smell your pillow,
Fix some mistakes.

Moments define our lives.

I've Gotta Post About It...

BYU's offense: Stellar
Utah's defense: Great as usual
BYU's defense: Meh
Utah's offense: Meh

First of all, I do not agree with most Utah and BYU fans. Max Hall, in my opinion, has overcome his choke-in-the-big-game-ness. He beat Oklahoma in what was essentially a road game on a killer fourth quarter drive.

He played very well against Florida State, especially in the first half. Our defense did not give our offense a chance to win the game. We had a couple key turnovers (not all Max) that ended up with a thorough spanking.

In the TCU game, Max did not perform well. I would have loved to see him come out and pass all over them (obviously), and he didn't. However, in my opinion, even if Max had come out and played an amazing game, we still would have lost. TCU is really amazing this year, and even though I think we could have stuck with them (at least more than we did), we still would have lost.

So, do I think Max is going to choke against Utah? Not a chance. His legend at BYU is on the line. He is an amazing quarterback, I don't care what anyone says, that is a fact. I really think my Cougs are going to win this one. I think it's the closest match-up there has been between these two teams in a long time. It's going to be fun.

Go Cougars!

Tidbits

4.0 :)
Stake Musical Production
BYU Application :)
SBO Activities
Christmas Music
New Dog
Naps

Life is good.

El Futbol Americano

In order to help compensate for the pain of not playing the best sport on earth, I've been playing football with some guys from school. I've played two games so far, once Saturday and once today.

Stats:

Saturday:

Touchdowns: 0
Receptions: 2
Dropped passes: at least 4
Good Tackles: 1 or 2

Monday:

Touchdowns: 3
Receptions: at least 7
Dropped passes: 0
Good Tackles: 0
Fumble Recoveries: 1
Number of times getting run over by a 6'5", 200 lb train: 2--ouch

So my hope is to get better at defense and continue improving on offense. I know this doesn't mean much to you guys, but I'm just excited to have a little testosterone flowing again. I think I'll go grill some steak and check on that ole boat engine now. *insert manly grunt here*

The Road Not Taken

I'm sure most if not all of you have read/heard Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." I love it, so I'm posting it along with my comments.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


How true. In today's world there is so much evil, so much hate, so much filth. It is easy, even in an LDS culture to take the common road: Go to church, say your prayers, casually read your scriptures occasionally, act like the church isn't that important, rebel because you can, clean yourself up, serve a mission, get married in the temple, be an average member of the church who likes some callings and hates others.

To me it all comes down to my faith and testimony in Jesus Christ. Being a "good" member of the church as a teenager is uncool. So what? If this (the gospel) really is true, as I believe it is, then a few people's judgment of me as a "Peter Priesthood" won't mean much on the ultimate judgment day. I wish all teenagers at Viewmont High got this concept. And I also wish it was as easy to live as it is to say. I'm not perfect, just trying.

That's my thought for the day :)

Even Though I Should Be Trying To Figure Out My Stats Assignment Or Getting To Bed, I'm Writing This Poem. Because I Can

I am from the Crowley's
From slalom skiing and the gift-exchange.
And laughing till it hurts and serving with family.

I am from the Nilsen's
From staying up till 1 AM catching up with cousins
And listening to stories about my grandpa and grandma.

I am from soccer
From goals scored and juggling records broken
And sitting on the sideline and wanting to cry.

I am from Provo
From games before I could talk
And 66,000 screaming fans.


I am from lawn mowing
From loud music
And personal satisfaction.

I am from reading
From Harry Potter
And Where the Red Fern Grows.

I am from John
From hours of sports analysis
And home-teaching visits.

I am from Janet
From hot chocolate after soccer games
And long talks about life and girls.

I am from friends
From movies and Carl's Jr.
And pick-up basketball and life.

I am from life lessons
From working and bomb threats
And so much more to come.

Stink

For lack of a better word.

Total Disbelief

Unbelievable. I am absolutely amazed. Go Cougs.

I want to apologize for my less than optimistic post. I was honestly just trying to be realistic and prep myself for what I thought was going to be a loss for BYU.

I stand corrected.

Now regarding what I'm sure I'll be hearing from Utah fans on Tuesday back at school:

Sam Bradford's injury:

I'm sure that there will be plenty of people who will say that if Bradford hadn't gotten hurt, they would have beaten us in the second half. Certainly the game changed after Bradford was out. No doubt about it, there is no replacing a player like that.

BUT

When Bradford left the game the score was 7-7. The only touchdown he scored on us was after we handed them the ball on our own 30-yard line on a fumbled punt return. We held one of the best quarterbacks in the nation (maybe the best) to 7 points and no one can say that we couldn't have done it again. I actually felt more worried for our defense in the second half when they were running the ball at us and moving the ball effectively.

Now if anyone says that Oklahoma was over-rated, they can go suck a lemon. They were not. We outplayed an incredible team. Period.

Watch out college football, the cougars are here to stay.

Football Season

Look at me, not even a full week and a new post already. So pretty much this Saturday is a HUGE day. BYU is playing Oklahoma. Here are my thoughts:

Reasons we could lose:

Oklahoma is a powerhouse. They have an amazing quarterback and overall amazing athletes, better than BYU's or anyone in the Mountain West for that matter.

We have a brand-spankin'-new offensive line, which could spell destruction for our offense. If Max is getting rushed every down, we don't have much of a chance.

Our secondary does not have my confidence until they prove themselves. We heard good things before last season, but by the end they were anything but up to snuff. I REALLY want them to be great, but they've got to prove it to me. Defending Sam Bradford is going to be ridiculously hard for the best of secondaries, let alone one that has yet to prove itself.

Reasons we could win:

Oklahoma played for the National Championship last season. BYU had a disappointing finish to say the least. This plays in our favor, in my opinion, because OU could easily come out overconfident. BYU, on the other hand, has something to prove.

We have a solid defensive line, while OU has a brand new offensive line also. I don't care how good Bradford is, no one can complete passes if they're getting smashed into the ground by Jan Jorgensen and Russell Tialevea every down.

Max Hall is hungry.

Mckay Jacobson is back. Dennis Pitta, Oneil Chambers, Luke Ashworth, Andrew George, Harvey Unga, and Manase Tonga round off what could easily be one of the best offenses BYU has had in a while.


I feel this is a very fair list. Obviously I'm ridiculously partial, but the things I have brought up are nothing but fact. Realistically, I give us a 15-20% chance of winning. Highly unlikely. My hope is that the football nation turns off their TVs saying, "BYU just gave an amazing OU team a great game. They kept it close and looked like a great team, but couldn't quite pull it out in the end. They are a force to be reckoned with."

I think anything within 14 points is a success for BYU. As long as no one gets injured, we don't turn the ball over, we create at least one turnover, and we don't get beat by more than 14 or 17, I'll keep my head held high at school Monday :)

Go Cougs.