Thursday, January 3, 2013

New Years

Well, it's New Years everyone! The day when everyone posts on their Facebook and tweets about the good/ bad times of 2012, tells their New Years Resolutions, and resolves to be a better person and all that good stuff. Everyone gathers around the TV to watch an electronic globe go downwards to announce the new year, and at that first minute when 2013 starts, everyone clinks their punch glasses, and yells, "happy new year"! Some people kiss at Times Square because it is considered "romantic" and we return to how are lives were anyway within 2 weeks.

It seems I could go through that last paragraph and find some things wrong with that. I think I will!

First, I would like to talk about New Years resolutions. I actually made some exactly 366 days ago. Here are a few.

1. Try to do the podcast once every two weeks at least.

Well, last July, I actually got my first podcast episode produced and released, and since then, I have released 5 episodes, including the Thanksgiving special. So...that one didn't work out.

2. Learn guitar and recorder, get better at uke and piano.

Guess what? I DID learn guitar. And I DID get better at ukulele and piano. But not recorder. That resolution was completely ignored.

3. Finish writing project.

This was something I was writing as a side project (It is a secret)...and it has had very little progress since the beginning of the year.

4. Get a paying job.

This kind of worked out. I worked as a babysitter at small group towards the end of the year, and still do. And I teach a 9 year old guitar. Both are paying jobs, but when I wrote down the resolution, I had a job in a store in mind.

So as we see, I completed some resolutions, half-finished others, and completely forgot about others. I didn't put all my resolutions down, because it would be too embarrassing to show how many I didn't follow through with.

So why does this matter? Well first, I want to point out that I probably looked at my NYR (New Years Resolutions) list no more than 5 times in 2012, and you saw that I didn't really follow the list. And also, that it took until a while after I made the list to actually complete those tasks that I had. I didn't complete any of them thinking, "Oh, I have to do one of my NYRs!", but because it was something I wanted to do at the time. So when someone says, "These are my New Years resolutions", they are often saying what they want to be like, and then returning to life 2 weeks later. Any NYRs that I completed were mere coincidences. I ended up with a job teaching guitar because someone from my church talked about it, and I volunteered. So let's stop making NYRs. They don't work. Whenever NYRs are made, it is wishful thinking. If you REALLY want to finish your NYRs, you had better work really hard, or you are going to end up doing what everyone else does. Go back to the way they were by February.

Okay, now that I have finished making fun of NYRs, let's move onto the next thing about New Years that needs to go. The kissing.

Now, you all know my views on this, unless you don't. In that case, let me just tell you. I don't think anyone should be kissing unless they are related. Either by birth or by marriage, it doesn't matter, but unless you are married, you should not be kissing that girl. The Little Mermaid got it all wrong. Now I know you are all thinking, "Oh, come on Ryan, lighten up. They are being cute!" Oh really? Think of it this way. You are born with 100 dollars, and every time you kiss someone, you are giving them a few of your dollars. Then when you get married, you give that person what you have left. Wouldn't you want to still be able to give the hundred dollars, instead of coming up short, and giving them 13 dollars, because you spent the rest on past relationships or experiences in Times Square for the sake of being "cute"? I don't know, but the whole point is this. I simply don't find it cute when 10,000 people in times square are kissing each other. It gets really weird. One year when I was watching the New Years broadcast from Times Square, the host says, "Wow! It is 2010, and some complete stranger just kissed me!". Then this year, it was, "Wow! It is 2012, and there are so many people making out!" I am almost certain just hearing about this is making people want to throw up. So yeah, it isn't cute. How about we stop it.

And now, moving onto, talking about it on the internet.

I always think it is hilarious when people are posting on Facebook, "It is 2013!" like I didn't know that. It's almost like they sit down at their computer and think, "You know what? I bet there are some people out there who don't realize it is the start of a new year. I should probably let them know." Guess what? The media, newspapers, websites, podcasts, youtube videos, etc. are ALL telling me it's New Years. I mean, I know I am homeschooled, but do you really think I am dumb enough to not know when the start of a year is? It isn't like I get on Facebook and think, "Oh wow, I COMPLETELY forgot it was New Years. I am so glad they all reminded me. If nobody had posted, I would have completely forgot. Thank you so much!"

And not only that, but people are making fun of 2012 on the internet. Saying, "I can explain 2012 in 7 words. YOLO, Kony, Call Me Maybe, Gangnam Style." Whenever I see something like THAT, I think, "Dude, a guy skydived from outer space, Obama got reelected (unfortunately), and I started a podcast!" So much has happened in 2012. Anyone who describes 2012 as 7 popular words is kidding themselves. What they MEAN is, "I only pay attention to cool bands and pop culture, and this is what I got out of it in 2012." If those 7 words I mentioned earlier were all you got out of 2012, you need to get a life. The only reason I even know what those 7 words above mean, is because friends came up to me and said, "Dude! YOLO!" And I was like, "I like Yoyos.". So, my friends think I don't have a life because I don't pick up on stupid      2-month long trends.

The real thing people should be posting on Facebook, is something like this. This is what I will post on Facebook:

Wow. It has been an entire year since so many people joined in Times Square. Since then, I have learned a lot, experienced a lot, and done a lot. In one year, so much has changed, and I have loved every minute of it. I joined debate club, and I have only been at it for 4 months, and it is one of my favorite things to do! I learned guitar, and I found out and practiced my passion to be a writer. I practiced my writing skills by writing for a bunch of people involved with FOTF and Adventures in Odyssey, like Brock Eastman and Bren McFarland. I also started an AIO podcast, and as a result, I got to chat with and even MEET awesome people like Nathan Hoobler (Director for AIO), Dave Arnold (Executive producer for AIO), Bren McFarland (AIO podcaster, and founder of the Campbell County forum), and Austin Peachey (AIO podcaster).

I started teaching guitar and helping out in the church nursery more, and as a result, I get to hang out and play with really awesome 3-5 year-olds once or twice a week. I learned bass guitar, and started playing it in my Awana Youth group worship band. As a result of helping with both the nursery and the worship band, I get to experience the joy of helping others, and have fun while I do it.

As a Sophomore in High School, I have gotten to meet new Freshman in my small group, and get to know them and make them welcome as the Sophomores did to me when I was a Freshman. I got to meet and get to know really awesome Freshman like Cole, Matthew, Joshua, and many others.

I became one of the board leaders on Bren McFarland's online AIO forum, and got to be involved in planning his forum, and helping with admin duties. There is SO much more that has happened this year, that I can't even describe! This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Wow! I had such a productive year. It seems that I don't need New Years resolutions to be productive, and I don't need to  That was SO much more than 7 words. Take that, Internet.