Gosh

I just had a crazy night. It all started at 5:00 when my friend, Cora Owens, took me on a date. We went to Taco Amigo then went to see The Hobbit. When we got back to the car and she turned on the radio, we heard the words, "PG" and "Triple overtime." All thoughts of the beautifully written and emotionally moving film I had just seen left my brain. Pleasant Grove played against Lehi High School last night and won in quadruple overtime 109-107. I listened to the rest of the game and then called Trevor who was there. We talked a bit and it was great. Awesome job, Vikings.

But that was just the beginning. 

After I hung up the phone with Trevor, I get a text from my good friend and Pleasant Grove Sports Network's play-by-play commentator, David Brinkerhoff. It read, "Hey so Jeremiah Jensen from KSL wants us to edit the film for him.  Want to come to Russ' room and help us edit? Plus you can turn Kurt's music off." In my defense, Kurt's music is about as tasteful as this.

I was in my underwear watching Saved By the Bell when I got offered the chance to edit something that would actually go on television. I am not going to lie in saying that that is one of the coolest things that has ever been offered to me.

The only problem is that it was already 11:00 and I was planning on going to bed soon. Of course within minutes I was fully clothed and at my mother's bedside begging for her approval. She said yes as long as I updated her on how long I would be (I figured it would be two hours, tops).

After making a quick Wendy's run, we started into the work of editing the footage for a highlight reel. 

Five and a half hours I worked. 

From 11:30 PM to 5:00 AM I edited, searching through over an two hours of footage and separate footage for a total highlight reel time of 3 minutes. And right now, I am finally editing my masterpiece. 

This is my biggest break in the field of editing. Forget that Wednesday the school played the copy of Ferris Bueller's Day Off that I edited, this actually will have my name attached. I am going to make it big. Just watch.

The best gift.

So I have been going through a lot internally. I could explain, but I already did in a letter. You'll understand why when you read the letter, but for the moment just know I was feeling like I needed one person: my brother, Brock. He was the only one I could talk to. But because he had a bunch of mission stuff on the Monday before Christmas (Christmas Eve) when his P-Day usually is, he told us he couldn't email. But I didn't care. On Saturday I just needed to vent my emotions to my best friend. So I did. I even put the subject of the email as, "I know we'll talk before you read this." So here is my letter, unedited and completely and totally personal. Please know I put this here only so you know how powerful the results were.

My Best Bud-

I just need to talk to you. I really miss you right now. I always miss you, but where you would be Trevor or someone else takes your place, but there are some places where only you fit. Like right now. It's Christmas time. Everyone has their family. I mean everyone. Trevor has his family. Bob has his. Nick has his. Nicole Tucker (who I am best friends with) has hers. The Popes and Pixtons and Haws' have theres. And to some extent Mom and Dad have their own thing happening, just the two of them. That's why you are so important. Because you are me plus two years. When the married people started talking about pregnancy, we went to play pool. When everyone had their family Christmas parties, we watched Jingle All the Way together (which I watched last night, alone). You are the one that keeps me from not being alone. And a Christmas like I'm reminiscing about may never happen again. This my last Christmas home and if I had one hesitation about not going on a mission ASAP, it would be wanting to spend one more Christmas with you while we are both wife-free. I need you. I love you. You are my best friend, better than all 6.9 billion other people. I'm glad I followed you, even though it felt sometimes like I was in your shadow. You are awesome. I love you. Merry Christmas. Just know that no one misses you more than me. I guarantee. Because no one else needs you with them more than me. 

-Your Best Bud

Tomorrow is Christmas. We are going to talk on the phone. I knew what was going to happen. But Saturday night I prayed. I really prayed. I asked Heavenly Father for a confirmation. See, I could leave before Brock gets back. I have always felt like an afterthought in his weekly emails. I needed to talk to him when it was just us. All I wanted was one, meaningful exchange with him before I left on my mission. That is what I prayed for; that was what I wanted. And I got it. Heavenly Father is the best at giving and, boy, is he the best at surprising us. After pulling an all-nighter with my friends, I woke up after a two hour nap to the best Christmas gift ever. What was it, you ask? Well here it is.

Hey mate, 

Turns out we got to do email today but we don't have a lot of time. You get the privilege of receiving my only email of the day!!

You know what helped me this Christmas? Elder Holland has an article in the Ensign (or New Era, I read it in the Liahona) that talks about his first Christmas away from home. It was when he was a new missionary, training a newer missionary and opening a new area. They spent the whole day the whole week actually, knocking on doors without anyone listening to them (as great as the mission is, those days happen and they are rough). But he said that was the first Christmas that he really focused on what it meant instead of focusing on just enjoying it. There is a lot of wisdom in his words. 

I love you and I'm glad you miss me. I miss you too. I am so excited for what you're going to learn on your mission. You'll grow in a way you'll never expect. Like it says in Ether 12:27, when you're out on your mission, you're going to be shown your weaknesses more than ever, believe me. But they'll be turned into strengths. You'll have a mission president that loves you and is inspired by Heavenly Father to help you become who you need to be. That relationship is so special. 

I pray for you because I know you are at a really fun, but really hard part of your life right now. And I am proud of you. I tell everyone that I have five brothers, four that served missions, and one that is on his way. One of the things I've learned is that I never have to wait to be happy. I can find the good in everything and enjoy life wherever I am. You are a good kid, and I'm excited to see you. 

I love you,

Elder Duclos

I'm sure he doesn't know how much his email meant or how much it made me cry. But Heavenly Father loves me so much. So much that he would give me a meaningful, personal conversation with my best bud. I know that He knows me personally. This Christmas is the best one I've ever had. Because even though I am kind of a loner, I am never alone. I have my Heavenly Father there, making sure I am happy. What else could I ask for?

Near death and bird whispering

So after I went post happy Saturday, I went on a hike to my favorite area in the world, Indian Springs. Taft and I went up there. As we neared the spring, I noticed a rattler as big as my arm at its thickest point three feet from Taft and about a foot off the trail. Let us just say we booked it out of that area. So yeah, I came a foot away from almost certain death.
Today, I was trying to impress a girl (pretty far fetched, right?). Anyway, we started talking about the hummingbird feeder on my back porch. She was enthralled that the hummingbirds would stop flying to perch on the feeder. For some reason, this conversation reminded me of a story I was once told about my brother, Bob, and him holding a wild hummingbird. All I remember from the story is that he held his hand next to the feeder for a long time without moving and it landed on him. I hadn't much foresight as I said, "This will take a minute." I really didn't have any clue or even any hope that it would work. But sure enough, as the first hummingbird approached, it perched on my outstretched finger. I guess I am really impressive, but it really isn't a big deal. I didn't get a video and when I tried again for seven minutes while recording, I ended up with nothing. But I mean, ha. I am pretty proud of my ability to go headfirst into that. Good educated guess.
I will eventually continue writing the book that I am always thinking about on Friday. It just sucks because as the highest student in any of my teacher's English classes on the CRT (I aced it with 100%), it's hard to believe I have a C-. Actually it's not too hard when you know that my English teacher hates me. But we won't name names because I don't slander people.
School? Stupid. Next year will be better.
Also, this post has a lot of labels. It is just that everywhere.

Far better is it to dare mighty things

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."

Thomas Jefferson sure can tell it.  Today I dared a mighty thing: I told the girl I love how I feel about her. I wanted to figure out if she liked me in that way or I was jut being self-deluding. She does not. It was not a surprising conversation and to be honest I didn't really learn anything I didn't already know, but it was good. It was possibly the hardest thing to say that I have ever said to anyone. She took it well and we decided that it shouldn't affect our friendship (it is a friendship I love more than most others) and I really believe it won't. 

Seriously it would've been the best if she told me that all those doubts were fictional and she does like me, but it is no big deal that it was about the opposite. It really is better to know that a not terrific possibility is a reality than to not know whether it is going one way or another. I definitely won't stop liking her because unlike a majority of the world, I have feelings more than a simple on and off switch.

Also, to quote her, I am very understanding, sweet, kind, and forward, so ladies, just know I'm single.

(/

Suckishness

Sorry this has been the most boring blog in the freaking world lately. I have not really had the time to write that I wish I had. For example, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was gone for fourteen hours. WIth the exception of 9 hours last night, I got a total of 15 hours of sleep. I have had math up the wazoo and it kind of sucks.

But I have had some good stuff in my life. I had an undying hatred for someone at the beginning of the week who I now love (not that I trust him, you can love somebody and still not trust them).  I also have been rocking it at work and tore apart more computers in two hours on Tuesday than I usually did all day when I started working there.

I also took a math test on Friday that I felt went really well. It was fun. Ha. Just kidding. Math is never fun. I made doughnuts (I don't like the other spelling, "donuts") from scratch on Monday. Devil's Food Cake and they were delicious.

I watched the edited version of IMDB's #10 highest rated film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I have yet to finish it, but I really like it. Great acting, great cinematography, and great directing. Jack Nicholson is a visionary with some of the scenes he made up. But don't watch it unedited. I could tell a lot of editing was done and I would not watch it if I did not have AMC's editing prowess backing me up.

I also went to Washington D.C. and Nashville, Tennessee last week for spring break. I ate so much food last Thursday and Friday, I almost exploded. Thursday night I had the bright idea to go running after eating beyond a normal person's capacity. I went into the hotel exercise room which had a whole wall with windows into the pool area, where there were a couple of teenagers.
After a quarter mile, I felt as though my everything was going to die, so I wisely stopped running as to avoid exploding ribs and smoked turkey onto the carpet. As I sat and composed my stomach, I realized that the teenagers had taken notice of me. But, the only thing they had seen was me running at a leisurely pace for a quarter mile that resting for a long time. Needless to say, I felt like a spaz. Then for a reason unknown to any scientific proofs or religious revelations or philosophical discoveries, one of the girls waved at me. I made sure she was waving at me (it had to be me because I was the only one it could've been), then awkwardly waved back. Cool story.

There is this girl I like who I haven't seen for a majority of the past two weeks because of vacations and stuff. She is just the best. This is going to sound super cliche, but she brings the best out of me. With her beautiful expressions (seriously, I have never seen anyone else who cannot contort their face into an ugly look, but regardless of what she does, her face is always beyond perfect), she really makes me want to be as perfect as she is. I am so grateful for my friendship with her and would not trade it for anything (except maybe a flying DeLorean with a flux capacitor). Seriously though, best person award goes to her.

This has been my life for the past two weeks. I have had a great time and a horrible time. I have wanted to sing, "Hallelujah," and I've wanted to shoot a burro. But all in all, I'd say it was a worthwhile time.

P.S. Also, I started a novel that I will be sharing soon.

Everything is okay

I sure do enjoy my life. It is one of those times when you can't think of anything bad. I've been hanging out with two of my best friends, Trevor Ward and Kassie Hamilton. I have had the best week.

Here is my next week:

• Special Needs Sacrament Meeting tomorrow at 8:45 AM.
• No school after Tuesday
• I'm going on a date with the beautiful Lauren Miner. We are doubling with Trevor and his date, Megan Francis, and we are going to see our Curley, Taft Robinson, in the play, Into the Woods.
• I have something Wednesday. I'll get back to you on it. I forgot.
• Thursday is Thanksgiving. I sure do enjoy that November gem.
• Friday I don't have to avoid Christmas music. Seriously, we can avoid listening to that stuff until after Thursday. An entire month is plenty for any genre of music.
• Saturday I don't have school.
• Sunday is Sunday.
• Then back to school (but we don't think about that).

Another thing. You know how I want to be an author? Well, I got this book that a majority of high school students would mistake for a phonebook. It is not a phonebook. It is the 2011 Writer's Market, which holds every single publisher in the United States. For an author, it's pretty dang awesome. I decided I couldn't waste a resource like that, so I decided to do something. I am in the process of writing a short story which I will submit until it is published (probably in 2058). I am really excited. I will post the story, first draft, when I finish.

Needless to say, my life is going by perfectly.

Story Time!

I haven't posted for a while and I have too much to do to write a whole post, so I just found a story I wrote. Here you go:

How The Brothers Eluded Death

By Wyatt Duclos

Once there were three brothers, Roose, Hagson and Rubius. They were the best of friends and loved each other very much. They and their mother, Belle, lived in a small cottage on the coast of England. The mother was very kind to everyone she met, and put her own needs behind the needs of others. This caused her to become very ill. She would soon die.

Her oldest son, Roose, was very worried. There was absolutely no way to delay his mothers death. So he thought and thought. He finally realized the only way was to stop Death from taking his mother. He told his brothers this idea. He decided to travel to a far away land to The Cave Of Death. This cave was full of the worst ways to die, a different death for each cavern. But at the back of the cavern, lived Death himself. So Roose entered the first cavern. The large cavern held a giant. Roose, knowing that giants were very stupid, let his guard down. But as soon as he stepped into the cavern, large, hairy tarantulas swarmed him. He was paralyzed. Death, sensing his presence was needed, went to Roose. Now what most people do not know is that before Death takes a life, he asks their final request. If the request is a good cause, Death fulfills it. But if it is selfish, he makes them die a slow, terrible death. So, he ask Roose his final request. Roose replied that he wanted to become the master of Death. Death found this a selfish reason and had the spiders slowly eat him, one of the worst deaths Death had inflicted.

After waiting weeks for his brother’s return, he finally guessed the truth. So, Hagson being the eldest, started devising a plan. Since going to Death did not work, he thought he should bring Death to him. He would pretend to have a heart attack then capture Death. Hagson plopped down in a chair and did not move at all, having his brother, Rubius, fetch him junk food. So after  a week of doing nothing and eating junk food, he decided it was time. With all the acting ability he could muster, he faked a heart attack. Death soon walked in Hagson’s room, prepared to take a life. Death asked Hagson his final request. Hagson leaped up and said he wanted to capture Death. Hagson then grabbed Death’s arm. But wherever Hagson touched Death, his skin errupted in flames. The flames spread and Hagson was finally consumed by the fire.

Upon walking into the room where his brother’s charred remains laid, Rubius decided it was up to him. He waited for Death to approach his mother’s bedside. When Death did, Rubius then spoke.

Said he, “Please do not take her life. She is a selfless, kind person. She still has good to do in this world. Leave her, but instead take me. You took my brothers, whom I cannot live without. would, please do this. It is the only way my family can finally be happy.”

WIthout hesitation Death raised his scythe. Immediately Belle started into a coughing fit. Gradually it got better. Rubius looked away and when he looked back, a beautiful young lady sat before him. Then Death turned to him. Rubius closed his eyes. It didn’t matter if it was here or wherever you go when you die, if Rubius was with his brothers, Death could not prevail.