Ode to Chemistry

Chemistry, the stereocenter of my eye? I think not,
For when I think of you, what do I see?
Propyl chains, and methyl groups, endless chemistry.
Carbon chains from floor to ceiling,
Mirror images, right and left, and all these things
Speak death, as well do Cyclo-rings.

And what does it matter, in the end,
If I can tell one type from the other?
For what am I? Merely a humble bio major.
I study life in all its realms, all but its chemistry.
I know the cell, from its end to start,
and of breathing lungs and beating hearts.

For in the end, what does it matter
If one methylene is different from another?
Biology is what governs life,
and not Chemistry with all its strife!
So I end my ode to you, most loathsome Chemistry.
I think I'll go and learn what they call Biology.

Run, Run, Run

This is my first running post on this Running Croft blog of mine in a long time! This was a pretty fun run I did, actually it wasn't all that fun, it was long, hard, and slightly painful. Luckily I was in one of those moods where I was extremely unhappy that I've allowed myself to get out of shape, so that fueled me throughout the run. Plus, I wanted to touch Utah Lake!

New Blog

So I started a new blog, a photo documentary of my college life! Let me know what you think!

By Small and Simple Things

It's strange. I'd never truly thought of some decisions as having eternal significance. For instance, my decision to take AP classes rather than IB classes. Although I did not know it at the time, this decision has the potential to have eternal consequences. It determined how many AP credits I would receive, as well as who I associated with for three years of my life. From there this decision propagates into other decisions, such as what classes I would take my freshman year, further determining my associations for my first year of college. So it seems that a vast majority of our lives can hinge on a relatively small number of decisions. For instance, although not necessarily a small decision, but a singular one, the college we choose to go to. This decision has a large effect on other decisions that have the potential to define our lives. For example, our careers can be defined by the professors we have, and the research opportunities available at a University. Furthermore, more than likely we will choose to marry an individual whom we associate with in our University. The chances of meeting this individual are further defined by small choices that would seem to have little effect on our marital decision. These small choices can be things such as the place where we choose to live, or the major we choose to pursue. These decisions define who we will spend our time with, and consequently who we will have the opportunity to marry in the future. Thus, these little decisions can create, or limit, opportunities that will have lasting eternal consequences. While the original decisions themselves may have had no immediate or apparent eternal significance, by small and simple things we are led to the large decisions, based on our original "small" decisions.

Yet a common thread emerges between these smaller decisions, revealing a bigger picture on our eternal progression and the path of our lives. It is the thread of our associations. In reality it is not these little decisions that determine who or what we will be. Rather these decisions have defined opportunities for us to choose with whom we will associate. Our associations are a large part of what will define us in the future. Our friends, professors, future or current spouses, and family members all have a profound influence on the individual we will become. Consequently, it is up to us to make the decisions that will place us in locations where we will have the opportunity to choose to associate with people who will be able to influence us for the better, and with whom we can hope to establish lasting relationships of true value. These decisions will in turn enable us to become the best we can be, and return to our Father in Heaven in the best condition possible.

So in other words, my ramblings have only managed to elicit the well known adage, "Choose your friends (and associations) wisely". But, going slightly beyond that; choose our circumstances and opportunities wisely, so that we can in turn have the opportunity to choose our friends wisely. For these small and simple things have eternal consequences.

For Mis Padres

So I'm off to college. When I first got here I was kind of lonely, but I knew I'd get over it soon enough, once my classes started. And I did. This past week was a good one, and in all honesty I wasn't homesick at all. Not sure why, maybe because work kept me from seeing you guys all that much during the summer. Nevertheless, when I came home last night I was struck with a little homesickness. I realized that I'd miss playing those games on Sunday nights, the family dinners, the talks after dinner, and seeing you guys every day. I'll miss the anticipation of Dad having a day off from work so we could do family activities, and I'll miss having family night every week, whether it was playing games, having a lesson, or just watching a movie. Just the little things I guess. I guess I'm not as unattached or independent as I would have liked to think, but I guess that's ok too. So I love you guys, and I'll probably be calling home every once in awhile, especially when I'm trying to figure out if food is expensive or not.

Love,
Your newest college kid