What worked in MCOM 320

Throughout my college career, I have taken many classes on varying subjects. Some of these classes have been very applicable in my life and others not so much. MCOM 320 has been one of the most applicable classes I have taken. I particularly enjoyed learning how to write as a business person.

Since I was young, all of my teachers have emphasized "wordiness" in most of my writing. I always felt that when writing a report, I needed to use large and complicated words to make the paper seem professional and well-written; however, after learning that short and clearly written messages are often better than wordy messages, I felt much more confident when writing.

The basics exam really was a tough part of the class but it was very helpful. I still make small grammatical mistakes when I write, but for the most part I feel confident and professional when I write. This knowledge about grammar will serve me for the rest of my life. When I produce professional documents that are well-written, the readers of my documents will believe what I am saying more because it is well-written.

I really enjoyed this semester in MCOM. One recommendation that I have would be on the grading. I understand that it is very hard to get a perfect or near perfect score on most written assignments; however, I think that it would be beneficial to go over the most common written mistakes on each assignment so that students will be able to avoid those mistakes and get better grades.

I believe that everyone needs to take MCOM because the skills that can be obtained are priceless.

Thick Skin

Thick skin, in its figurative sense, is a trait that I am striving to acquire. In recent months I have found that thick skin can prevent so many undesirable situations. I cannot think of anyone better to refer to than Jesus Christ. He was ridiculed everyday of his life and he turned the other cheek. This example shows that peace can be brought to unpleasant situations if at least one person who is involved acts as the peacemaker.

My wife and I have made a promise to each other that we will try to have thicker skin and not sweat the small things. If we constantly nit pick at every little thing that the other person does wrong, we can often become annoyed with each other which creates a tense environment. As I have tried to implement this new idea of thick skin, I have noticed that I see so much more good in everyone that I interact with. I am happier and I know my wife is too.

Constantly improving myself in ways other than knowledge is something that I have forgotten to do. My goal is to improve myself in different ways constantly to become a better person. 

The Gospel

On Thursday my wife and I found out that my wife's aunt had passed away unexpectedly. She was the mother of 3 children and had a wonderful husband. It was a death that surprised the entire family because nobody saw it coming.

Today we drove up to Hooper, UT for the viewing before she was cremated. There was a very solemn spirit at the viewing but I'm not sure that everyone felt it. Out of the 10-12 of us that were there, only 5 were active in the church. The rest were believers in God but did not have the vision of life and death that we do.

The sadness on the faces of the children and the husband was heartbreaking because they almost could not be consoled. As the mother was wheeled out in front of the glass window in the viewing room, everyone broke out into tears and sadness poured into the room for those who did not know what was to come after this life. But for those of us that know that death is not the end, there was a very warm and sweet spirit that comforted all of us. The spirit reassured us that death was not the end, but the beginning of something much greater.

This experience was a testimony builder for me and for those who were with me. Life is so precious and we need to be thankful for every moment we have on this earth, but we cannot have regrets when death comes, just hopes for the future. 

Naps

Recently I have noticed that I sleep better during a nap than I do when I get a full-night's rest. I really don't know why that is but I know that when I wake up from a nap I feel so energized and ready to go. But it is often hard to get up from a nap because I feel so comfortable laying in bed.

I think that I might sleep better during a nap because it is extra sleep that occurs in the middle of the day and it gives me a quick energy boost to finish out the day. Although, when I was in high school I learned that we all have sleep cycles. It is actually more beneficial to take a 10-15min nap in most cases than a 30-45 minute nap depending on our sleep cycles. Every certain amount of time our bodies enter a deeper or lighter sleep. If we wake up during one of our deep sleep cycles, the nap was less beneficial because it will be harder to wake up. But if we wake up during a light sleep cycle, we will wake up easily and more rested.

I think that might be why I feel so energized after a nap. Try it out for yourself and tell me what you think.

Ice Cream

Ice cream is probably one of the best foods on the face of the planet. I just did some quick research and ice cream was invented in its most basic form of ice and fruit toppings in the fourth century B.C. It was invented by one of the emperors of China. He had his servants bring ice down from the tops of the mountains and he would combine it with ice...cool huh!I am so glad that we don't need to go to such extents to enjoy such a delicious treat.

 Earlier today I found myself craving ice cream but I didn't have any at home, so I made my own. It was surprisingly easy; all I need was 2 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of Half & Half, 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Luckily I had an ice cream maker stored away so I didn't have to do any of the stirring. I also added crushed Kitkat bars to the mix. The only tough part about making ice cream is waiting to eat it. I like my ice cream rock-hard so I might have to wait until tomorrow to eat my comfort food.

I also learned through my research that ice cream is a comfort food. Ice cream helps release endorphins into our bodies which make us feel happy. Maybe that is why I love ice cream so much. I hope that all of you will take the time to enjoy your favorite comfort foods once in a while. Eat responsibly!

Technology

It is so amazing how far the human race has come. As I sit here in my living room, I can access almost everything in the world from my computer, and also my smart phone. Twenty years ago, the internet and computers were in their infant stages, and today so much can be accomplished with just a touch of a button.

I watched a documentary several weeks ago that was about the 100 most influential inventions in the last several hundred years. It was curious for me to find out that the #1 invention is not electricity, the computer, or radio, but the smart phone.

As I thought about this claim, that the smart phone is the most important invention in recent history, I realized that the fact that we can access everything from a small hand-held device, is so amazing. Our smart phones have more computing power than the early super computers that filled an entire room.They can surf the internet almost as fast as our laptops and PC's. The smart phone has revolutionized the way the world operates.

I am so excited to see what will come in the future in the ways of technology. We truly do live in the Information Age.

(Here is the link to a survey regarding our MCOM 320 class: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDhZOUYxZVlRcUdOVTZCRFdoejIydlE6MQ) 

Thank You Notes

Thank you notes are so small, but they can mean so much. I spent my entire day writing thank you notes for the gifts that my wife and I received for our wedding. I didn't realize how long it would take to write 40 thank you notes, it took me about 5 hours to write and address all of the letters. However, writing those letter really made me think about how much I appreciate all of the friends that I have. They are such caring and loyal friends that will be there for us no matter what. 

As I wrote the letters, I realized that the thank you notes were such a small gesture compared to the gifts that were given. I almost felt as though I needed to give a gift of equal value just to show my appreciation, but the more I thought about it, the thank you note is all that is needed. Sometimes you just need to let someone do something nice for you to let them be charitable towards you. 

Now, it just feels good to be done writing them. My fingers hurt, but my heart is full and I am excited to send them out. I want people to know that I truly do appreciate their love and support.