My New Blog

Hey, everyone. So, I've been thinking about where to go from here and I've decided to leave 100 Things as exactly that. So, I've started up a new blog called Uncle Bob's Bloggish Life (I explain my choice of title over there). Unlike 100 Things, Uncle Bob's Bloggish Life doesn't have any specific theme or goals associated with it. We'll see what kinds of things end up on there. Anyway, thanks again for following my efforts on 100 Things, and I hope you enjoy what you find at my new place.

There You Have It

I can't believe that I did it. 100 days ago I started this blog, not knowing what to expect. I had no idea what kinds of things would stand out to me as I searched for topics to write about. Some of them surprised me, some of them just seemed natural, and all of them are things for which I truly am grateful. I would also like to say that I am thankful to all of you who have been reading this and have made comments to me (whether they be on the blog or in person) about what I've been writing. You're support has helped me to keep going at this.

I have learned a lot as I've done this. Like I said, some of the topics surprised me at first. Some of them seemed really silly as I was writing about them. But this experience also helped me to realize how many little things there are to be thankful for. There are so many things that I thought about putting on here but didn't just because I didn't know how to actually write about them. I hope that this has been a good experience for those of you who have been reading this.

Some of you have asked what I am going to do now that I've reached #100. To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure. I could continue the list, but I'm also tempted to take a little bit of a break. I have lots to be thankful for, but it was definitely more work than I expected to update this every day. Also, I've enjoyed the whole blogging experience, so I might just start up another general blog and leave this purely as 100 Things. In either case, I'll have an update on here soon so that you aren't all just left wondering. Again, thank you for all of your support.

100. The Plan of Salvation

So, over the last couple of days I've been trying to think of something really good to write about today. I figured that #100 deserved to be something significant. Well, I honestly don't think there's really anything for which I could be more grateful than the Plan of Salvation and everything that it entails. If it wasn't for our Heavenly Father's plan for us, I wouldn't have the previous 99 things to be thankful for. I am thankful that I can be with my family throughout eternity. I am thankful that a Savior has been provided so that I can repent of my mistakes and still be exalted when the time comes. I am thankful for the experiences that I can have in this life and for everything that I can learn. I'm thankful for the knowledge that I am a child of God and that he loves me and will do everything that I let him and more to help me reach my full potential. And I am thankful for the knowledge that I have of His plan and the comfort and direction that it gives me in this life.

99. Wikipedia

My first introduction to Wikipedia was either right before I left on my mission or shortly after I returned. I can't remember which, exactly. In either case, I do remember that it was through my brother-in-law. All I really remember is that he was looking something up on it and talking about how neat of a website it was. I really didn't understand at the time. Later on I got more exposed to it and really learned how much cool information is on there and how easily it is to find yourself spending way too much time jumping from article to article. Also, it's just so quick and easy to learn about something on there. I think it's usually the first place I look when I have a question. I have no idea how many Wikipedia articles I've searched for. Too many to count. Of course, I realize that you need to be careful about believing everything you read on there, but that's true for the internet in general. So, I'm thankful for Wikipedia and for the quick and easy source of information that it is.

98. Surprise Days Off

So, I went to class today just like any other day. Well, almost like any other day. I actually got to class a couple minutes late because I slept in. My thought process when I woke up was "wow, it feels later than it usually does when I wake up. Oh yeah, it's Saturday. Wait, no it's not! It's Friday! I have class in 25 minutes!"

Anyway, I was sitting in class and the professor was finishing up the lecture and said "alright, we'll pick this up on Monday. I mean, on Wednesday." Wednesday? I couldn't figure out why he said that? I went back to my office and did some investigating. It turns out that Monday is Martin Luther King Day! No class on Monday! I had no idea before today. This surprise bit of information made me really happy.

97. My Study Group

I don't normally work in groups, and I don't like group projects. When it comes to homework, however, that's a different story. It's always nice to be working on homework with somebody else so that you can help each other and have a better chance of doing it correctly. During my undergrad years, it was always easy to find somebody working on the same assignment as you because we all did our homework in the same lab. So, I was never really part of a specific group, you just worked with whoever was around. This semester, however, I'm in a class made up of mostly mechanical engineers and 3 chemical engineers. One of the other ChE students brought up the idea of working on our homework together, so the three of us have been setting specific times to get together and do the homework. This isn't a new idea or anything, but it's the first time I've done anything more than just look for someone who might be doing the same thing I am. Anyway, I'm really thankful that I am a part of this group. It has helped us make sure that we work on our assignment consistently throughout the week and not just leave it to the day or so before (which I probably would have done otherwise), and this first assignment would have been a real beast to leave to the end. Like I said, none of this is groundbreaking news or anything, but I've never done it before. So, I'm thankful for this study group.

96. Kleenex

Don't you hate it when you have to blow your nose, or your nose is constantly running, and you don't have any Kleenex around? It's so awful. I mean, toilet paper can work pretty well, but if you have to blow your nose a lot, it can get pretty rough on your nose. And don't even get me started on paper towel, especially the rough, awful stuff that is found in public washrooms or custodial closets and such. I can hardly think of anything worse to blow your nose with. Well, I can't think of anything worse while staying within the realm of moderate possibility and intelligence. I mean, I'm pretty sure that it would be worse to blow your nose into a cactus, but who's even going to try?