A Considerable Speck by Robert Frost

A speck that would have been beneath my sight

On any but a paper sheet so white

Set off across what I had written there.

And I had idly poised my pen in air

To stop it with a period of ink

When something strange about it made me think,

This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,

But unmistakably a living mite

With inclinations it could call its own.

It paused as with suspicion of my pen,

And then came racing wildly on again

To where my manuscript was not yet dry;

Then paused again and either drank or smelt--

With loathing, for again it turned to fly.

Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.

It seemed too tiny to have room for feet,

Yet must have had a set of them complete

To express how much it didn't want to die.

It ran with terror and with cunning crept.

It faltered: I could see it hesitate;

Then in the middle of the open sheet

Collectivistic regimenting love

With which the modern world is being swept.

But this poor microscopic item now!

Since it was nothing I knew evil of

I let it lie there till I hope it slept.

I have a mind myself and recognize

Mind when I meet with it in any guise

No one can know how glad I am to find

On any sheet the least display of mind. 

I have a mind myself and recognize

Mind when I meet with it in any guise

No one can know how glad I am to find

On any sheet the least display of mind. 

Cower down in desperation to accept

Whatever I accorded it of fate.

I have none of the tenderer-than-thou

"Life is meant to be enjoyed not just endured"

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with tasks that are set in front of me. Taking over 15 hours of school coupled with a part time job working promotions/events for KSL broadcasting tends to leave me with little time to really sit back and relax. Just yesterday I realized it's been almost an entire month since i've played my guitar. I use to maybe at most go two weeks without playing it.

 Even then I thought it was a almost a cardinal sin. I would spend an hour or two playing my guitar to unwind from a long day at work or school. It's where i clear my head from the world and express feelings i can't always convey other ways. In some ways I feel more like me the moment I pick up the guitar and learn a song I love or write one of my own. I only share this to say don't forget to experience the little things you love to do.

Even if you seem too busy with school or work remember they are what make you "you". Life's too short. Sometimes you just need to take a step back and do what makes you feel free. I for one will do my best to follow my own advice.

Your poker face ain't fooling nobody, nobody here
We've all felt the flame and shed those same tears
Driving home to a one man hell, still counting years, still counting years
Hey brother we're all learning to love again
'Cause that was the real you running through the fields of gold wide open
Standing in places no picture contains
That was the real you, windows down, we could smell the mint fields crying
Sing with the radio to song we can't name
That was the real
You saying, "Maybe I'm not too young to be a cowboy."
Hey brother, we're all learning to love again-Mat Kearney "Learning to Love Again"

Jose Gonzalez - Far Away from Red Dead Redemption

One of my favorite games of all time also happens to have one of my favorite songs of all time. Please enjoy this and if you haven't played this game yet GET OFF YOU BUTT AND GET IT.

New Music Picks

Imagine Dragons 

 A band I never really paid attention to til a couple months ago. (I'm lame I know). These guys hail from Provo and Las Vegas so they're pretty much all local guys. I really dig their ep and can't wait for their album coming out in September. Check out them live on Leno! 

Passion Pit
I loved their old cd and the new one that came out a couple weeks ago doesn't disappoint. I might enjoy it more because the vocals I feel are much more refined and the songs are just as catchy as ever. I was so upset when they had to cancel their show in SLC, but thankfully I have their new album to tide me over.

Kimbra
I saw her at foster the people and really liked how much emotion she exuded during her brief set and extra song she sang with foster the people later that night. She also has a style I find refreshing.

Avett Brothers

Ive become obsessed with them ever since I saw them live a few weeks ago. They played this new song off their upcoming record and it's made the wait unbearable. Check out other songs like "at the beach" and "November blue" on YouTube as well.

Lumineers
You've probably heard the song "ho hey" on a few tv commercials, but the band is far from a one hit wonder. They have a folksy sound similar to blindpilot and head and the heart. Highest recommend!

Of Monsters and Men
In the same vein of Lumineers we have this band from iceland who have gotten increasingly popular from their single "little talks" being played on the radio. Check out this amazing live acoustic version!

Personal Experiences and Lessons from Working at KSL

It's been over a year since I began working at KSL (it's amazing how fast time flies) and it feels like it was just yesterday that I began working in the world of broadcast media. It has been the most fun I've ever had and the best job I've ever had. It's been quite a ride these last few months and I've learned a lot of great/funny things about working in the media (especially in promotions).

1. People REALLY love free stuff-

This may seem like no brainier to you, but I don't think I can stress this enough...PEOPLE LOVE FREE STUFF. It doesn't matter what it is, if it's free and you put it on a table someone will take it. Chip clips, chap stick, jar openers (yep we really give those away), magnet clips, you name it and it can be gone quicker than you can say, "Hey, feel free to take some KSL swag." We sometimes get the people who frequent our booths who I know by name. Now I'm saying taking free stuff is a bad thing and I myself enjoy a chip clip as much as the next guy, but you shouldn't be making up family members so you can grab one or two (or three, or four) more things. Wait, how many grandpas did you say you had? and how many brothers and sisters? hmmmm. Also when people try to subtly (well not at all subtly) try to slip a few extra note pads in their purse...If you need them that badly I think an intervention is in order (or maybe a TV deal to be hoarders? cha-ching)

2. It's always better to over prepare

One of the biggest lessons I had to learn early on was to take the responsibility to do prep work myself. KSL owns three radio stations in the Salt Lake area as well as KSL TV and when you put them all together that's a lot of events to plan and set up. With so much going on it becomes clear that you become responsible for the events you sign up and for the extra time to prepare for them. My bosses are busy trying to juggle multiple events at a time and it becomes up to you to put everything together. In essence I have to be really self motivated in making sure everything is ready for you before events. Coming in early to make sure you have everything you need and staying late making sure that stuff is put back and that whoever is working something the next day knows where everything is. A lot of times it takes longer to get stuff together than the actual stuff I work, but I've learned it's better to over prepare than to go to a event/live broadcast missing something essential to it. 

3. Think on your feet-

Anyone who works in broadcast media and media promotions can tell you about stuff going wrong from time to time (or most of the time? I kid I kid) and the proverbial shit hits the fan. At those times it's always best to over prepare (see #2) for every possible circumstance. What if it gets windy and rainy outside? I sure hope I brought some sandbags to weight down the tent!! Power outages? Bring a generator! Sound system dies 5 minutes before your suppose to drive on a parade route? (true story) take it down asap and play the station through the car stereo! Sometimes you just have to wing and go with your gut and trust it. From my own experience it almost never fails! When something doesn't go write just make sure to remember it in the future to make sure it doesn't happen again. I've been able to see myself becoming more meticulous at planning for any unforeseen circumstances.

3. Never be afraid to ask questions-

As I said before sometimes It's hard to get the whole story on events your working with so many going on all at once (summer will be a killer), but that doesn't mean you should be afraid to ask questions. If anything it means you should be more assertive in asking them so that you know what your in for. Why try winging something when you have the knowledge and experience in front of you of your superiors or even co-workers? Like the saying goes two heads are better than one. The more you know about what's expected and what's going on the better.

4. DJs and News Anchors are human! Just like you and me (expect are way cooler)  

Surprisingly TV/Radio personalities aren't nearly as scary as they seem! I've been able to talk to them a lot at events and realize they're actual just regular people (with very public jobs). It's been awesome getting to know them and to be able to learn more about how they got to where they are. They have kids going through high school, fishing trips, family reunions and weddings. It's really cool to hear about it because it's something you don't think about much when you hear/see on the radio/TV. I really enjoy a good conversation and love to be asked about their hobbies (they especially like to talk about stuff not revolving around work). It's been awesome to make such a connection with them!

5. A good attitude can go along way-

No matter how hard of a day at work it's been I've learned to have a good attitude. How many people can say they do what I do and get paid for it?? I've had a lot of crappy jobs in my life (Carl's Jr., Target, concrete cutting, plumber) which have really humbled me in knowing what a great job and place I work at right now. If I can project that to the listeners and the viewers then that's like half the job right there!

These are just some of the things I've learned in the last year and I can see that they've not only helped me learn about how media promotions work but how to become a better and more responsible person in my whole life. I look forward to learning and experiencing more in this next year :).

"We read to know we are not alone"

There's something that has been on my mind and has bugged me  for awhile and that is that I love reading and I find it sad that we have a hard time finding the opportunities to read ( i can understand it being a challenge to find the time, I myself have a a huge backlog of books myself.) books can be a larger and more engrossing experience. I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on. I was really obsessed with star wars when i was a kid. I loved animorphs, harry potter, and tons of other great books. Reading the book of mormon changed my life and a lot of books have opened up my mind to looking at the world in different ways such as 1985, frankenstein, the alchemist, the peace giver, catcher and the rye. I remember reading the 6th and 7th harry potter books in 4 days as i went camping with my family. there's nothing more therapeutic than spending time outside in the peace and quite enjoying a good book. don't get me wrong i enjoy playing games, watching movies as much as anybody, but there's nothing quite like reading a perfectly paced book. I would never trade the time i've spent with a great book.  


I remember working an event for my job where I met an adult who couldn't reading my heart was crushed and made me thankful for the blessing it is to read. how many of us actually have been grateful for that gift? I understand we live in a world where we are busier and where we often would rather watch a quick tv show online, check Facebook, watch netfli rather than reading a good book. To me It illuminate my imagination and opens my mind to new ways of thinking and ideas. Studies have show if you don't use your memory, it becomes more and more difficult to remember facts that you have read.It is really satisfying to look at a shelf of books and say, "I've read every one of those!"I felt this way once I read all 7 Harry Potter books. I don't mean to stand on a soap box with this issue but i just wanted to hopefully shed light on why reading is so important in my life and hope that this post can make someone buy that book your friends have been talking about or maybe a series that you've always wanted to check out. Give reading a chance and you won't regret it! (sorry if that last line sounds like it's from an after school special). 

“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.”

- Confucius “The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of the past centuries.”   - Descartes

Quote of the Week

“Do you remember what a cultural phenomenon homemade nachos were? If you are under thirty, you probably don’t even realize there was a time when people didn’t have nachos. We just stood around eating crackers.”
Tina Fey, Bossypants