HOLLIST RULES!

Construction May Begin Soon!

2009-09-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that due to my new found freedom and only having class twice a week there is a good chance that construction on the miniature golf course could begin soon. If you have any ideas for an awesome miniature golf course hole then let me know!

September Fools!

2009-09-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

I know it is the second of the month, and not April. Regardless of these facts I feel like I have met a lot of fools lately. It may be due to the fact that I have been using public transportation more, or it may be the fact that it is fall semester so there are more freshmen on campus. Either I have gotten smarter or the people I meet at the university are getting dumber, or what I fear the most, maybe both have happened.

The reason I fear this is due to the fact that the larger the disconnect between my intelligence and the intelligence of society the higher the probability I have of being classified as insane. I mean if I am not "normal" I will be shunned and eventually ridiculed and sent off as a nut. Oh the times they are a changing. It is scary out there. Pray for me.

Culture is Different Than Doctrine

2009-08-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been annoyed by people in society equating Mormon culture with doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I think going to girls camp kind of started me down this track. It was confusing to me how the conductors would try and flip-flop from "Everybody get loud and have fun!"(because the only way to have fun is to scream at the top of your lungs) to "Everybody be quiet and feel the spirit!"(because the only way you can feel the spirit is to be quiet and not talk) To me it was almost sending the message of you can have fun, and you can feel the spirit, but you can't have fun and feel the spirit.
I did however enjoy the talk the stake president gave when he talked about a testimony doesn't have to be a long drawn out story or some life changing experience, but rather just a declaration of truth. It was a very good talk, but that night at testimony meeting around the campfire it was not followed. It seemed everyone had a long drawn out sob story to tell. It is like they multiply. A series of can you top the story I just told with one of your own? So it leads to a lot of strange personal and uncomfortable stories.
Anyway this post has been kind of incoherent and the title was misleading, so I will leave you with a quote I really like from Howard W. Hunter:
"I get concerned when it appears that strong emotion or free-flowing tears are equated with the presence of the Spirit. Certainly the Spirit of the Lord can bring strong emotional feelings, including tears, but that outward manifestation ought not to be confused with the presence of the Spirit itself."

Adventures of girls camp part I

2009-08-14T11:03:00.001-07:00

About 8:30 yesterday we packed the big red van full of camping gear to return home from girls camp after spending the previous three days at camp Piuta with about 15 teenage girls. It was a strange experience. It seemed some of the time I was at cheerleader camp seeing as the camp cheer went something like this "Hey Girls, Hey What?, Hey Girls, Hey What?, Show me how to get down, No way, Show me how to get down, okay, First you stomp your feet..then boogie to the beat, then turn around and touch the ground and thennnnnnn you wiggle it just a little bit." I know the words because this was repeated at least 100 times in the four days there. Not to mention the various other cheerleaderesq cheers that were required to pump up the girls and make sure they are having fun. Then there were the cheers I thought were a little sacrilegious like the Noah built the Archy song.

I think the highlight of the week was the hike. They had all 250ish girls attending the camp go on the same hike and start at the same time. We began by hiking pretty much straight up this rather steep hill where there was no clear trail marked off. So after telling all the cars and girls to stay on the path we were blazing our own trail. Eventually we made it to the top and hiked along a road for a couple of miles, ate lunch with a nice view of various mountain ranges. Then after hiking part of the way back they decided to cut down a hill that was even steeper than the hill we just climbed and which also had not even a trace of a trail ever being there. Weaving through bushes that were probably eight feet tall and then through a muddy marshy area. It was a nice attempt to get all of the girls to hate hiking.

Sorry that these have been negative experiences so far. There were some very good experiences as well. I saw girls forget about whatever popularity tier they were in at home and take other girls under their wing, I also heard the testimony of many girls that helped strengthen my own, and I was able to see girls camp at an up-close and personal basis.

Unfinished business part I or How life gets in the way of fun things you have planned part I

2009-08-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

In my high school Physics class we were required to make a bridge using popsicle sticks. So my mother being the amazing woman that she is brought me home a box off 1,000 popsicle sticks! After using only about 30 of them to make my bridge I was left to ponder what I could do with the remainder. So I did what any strapping young lad in my situation would do, and I began gluing them together. While I was originally going to make a giant glob of popsicle sticks, it eventually began to take shape in the form of a baseball bat. Thus the popsicle stick baseball bat was created.
After a good portion of the shaft was completed, life got in the way of this fun thing I had planned and I became distracted with school or work or something and the popsicle stick bat was put to the side. I would like to finish that bat, even though it will probably break on the first swing, I would at least like to say I took the time to try it. Only upon moving I have no idea where the half finished bat is today.

My very own BLOG!

2009-08-05T11:08:00.001-07:00

HERE IS WHAT YOU HAVE ALL WAITED FOR! SCOTT HOLLIST HAS HIS OWN BLOG! Stay tuned ladies and gents for the most fun you have ever had in your life!