Greetings to one and all and welcome. Welcome to the celebratory 200th Issue of my Newsletter, "Signs of the Times". I returned home from my mission four years ago last month. I had been a big blogger before heading to North Carolina, mainly as an attempt to maintain the good friends I made in high school. (Obviously, with a few exceptions, that didn't work out very well.) As I returned home in 2008, I had no intention of continuing the "El President Bandito Newsletter," which I had written for eight months before I entered the MTC, but I was soon flooded with emails from long-time Loyal Subscribers asking me when I was going to start blogging again. A couple weeks later, I started a spin off of the old E.P.B. Newsletter and called it "Signs of the Times". That was a long time ago now. Today we commemorate the fourth anniversary - the fourth birthday, if you will - of my blog. Happy birthday, "Signs of the Times"!! Today we will celebrate. We will contemplate. We will mourn and we will rejoice. There is plenty to discuss today in this Issue, which will surely change the way we spend our Tuesdays for months and months to come. Are you with me? Are you ready?? On we go!
In pop culture news this week, the man behind the popular "KONY 2012" movement has been arrested for, well, going to town in public, so to speak. This, my friends, is why you can't be too quick to jump on the bandwagon. I admit - I stayed up until about 12:30 one night a couple weeks ago to find out what all this "Make him famous" garbage was about and it was a very persuasive video. This is nothing to discredit the horrible things going on down in Africa. Seems like there's some really bad stuff going on down there and I don't mean to make light of that situation. But, believe it or not, I actually did learn something in the public speaking class I took down at Snow College back in the day. There are several strategies speakers can use to take advantage of their audience. One of those strategies (or "fallacies," as they were called) is appealing to human emotion. For instance, you'll all seen those "feed the children of Africa" commercials or the "come adopt these poor, abused puppies" ads. Though somewhat factually-based, these ads rely on human emotions to provoke audiences to think a certain way or get them to do something they may not have normally done. That's a powerful way to get things done. After all, I push your buttons all the time every Tuesday - but I don't ask you for money. That's what kind of got me with the Kony campaign. It was all fun and games ("stop the killer, wear a free bracelet, change the world...") until they cryptically said, "You can help by making monthly donations to support our cause." (Paraphrasing, of course.) Where is my money going? What are you doing with these monthly donations? Who's running this show, anyway? Two weeks later, we all found out who was running the show, as this guy, Jason Russell, gets busted for indecent exposure (I guess) while potentially under the influence of... something (I guess). Nice... So, my readers, my friends, let's all aim for a higher cause than making a man famous who doesn't really even have anything to do with us (no offense intended, but seriously, he doesn't) and make our way to a brighter future. Aaron Christensen for President in 2012!
As I stated last week, I am on the verge of retirement from the proverbial blog-o-sphere, and as such, I couldn't possibly go out without ruffling a few feathers in the process. So I guess I just wanted to ask you all something I've been wondering for the last couple weeks: Is Jeremy Lin still even in the NBA? Hate to say "I told you so..."
**QUESTION TIME!!**
Q. "Dear Aaron,
We hear you may be hanging up the headband and calling it quits. Please don't do it! It was hard enough for us to bear as you left the KAGE and K-UTE as a DJ. You were the best and we really miss "City Council" and "The House that A-Town Built"... Please tell us, is there any truth to these rumors?! But, regardless, we hold you in very high esteem and you are welcome to visit us in the Great White North whenever you have some free time."
Just Curious,
- The Junior Mounties
A. Oh, you guys! Stop it! I told myself I wouldn't cry in this Issue. First of all, I'd just like to say that we had a great ride together, from way back when we started Runnin' Wild in 2004-05 until now. Our numbers have dwindled significantly, but you have been my dearest friends and the most Loyal Subscribers that I could have ever hoped for. Sadly, yes. I have been trying to find excuses all week long to keep the Newsletter. I know there is still a handful of people who would love for me to continue the Newsletter, but I just haven't been feeling it lately. I love writing and trying to entertain people, but I think that 200 is a nice, round number and, at some point, the creative juices just stop flowing the way they used to. So, unless something wildly unexpected happens here in the next couple hours, yes, I think I'm going to set the keyboard aside and focus on some other aspects of my life. It's sad. I wish it didn't have to be this way. I never thought it would get to this point, but, in case I don't have a chance to tell you in the future, I... I love you guys. (SALUTE!)
The following comments were left on the blog site, http://www.SignsOfTheTimesNewsletter.blogspot.com:
"If you stop blogging then I'll have nothing to look forward to on Tuesdays!" - Richard Brunson
"I'm always amused by your Tuesday ramblings. If it matters, I always try to do the polls (unless they don't show up on my smart phone) and I have tried to contribute opinions, comments, and material when it is relevant. Count this as a vote to continue on, sir. If there is more that I may do to keep the dream alive, I will try my darndest to help. ;)" - Stephanie Fox
"You see, many people read your blog, but few actually comment or post. I think it is quite an achievement that you have written so many editions of 'SotT.' Keep it up and promote it." - Sam Rimmasch
"Consider this, my young Padawan Learner. Tuesdays without SotT just becomes another Tuesday. Literally tens of people would have to suffer through Tuesday with no salve for the Monday they just experienced. SotT is a beacon of truth, justice, [and] the A-Town way in a world of 'Howards' and 'Double Face-palm' moments. Would you consider opening SotT up for guest bloggers to take the pressure off?" - Michael Brunson"Without the Newsletter, how will I be reminded of how awesome Tuesdays are? I need an awesome pick me up! Please don't stop writing!!!" - Suzy Petersen
The following are taken from wall posts and status update comments on my Facebook profile:
"Now what will I use to enlighten my soul on Tuesdays?!" - Christopher Pitts
"Best wishes." - Janae Balibrea
"I have a lot of favorite newsletters...I love the dating stories, the DWTS predictions, rhymes, and so much more. Thank you SotT!!!" - Andrea Chapman
"If you decide to pass on the torch I can begin to blog on Tuesdays... it will never be as good as yours but hopefully it can fill the void in your follower's hearts." - Ed Rothlisberger
"'Best wishes'... That's what David Benoit said to me in the picture he signed. I think he really meant it." - Austin Christensen
"I'm very bummed if this really is the end... I honestly cannot believe it. Don't let it be so, A-Town!" - Stephanie Fox
"I sure hope this is not the finale!!!... I even just got a Twitter to follow you!!!!!" - Jonathan Blackham
"I revived my Twitter just to follow you. I don't really get into Twitter, so this is substantial!" - Stephanie Fox
"If you cancel SotT I'll never speak to you again! (except when I see you at mom and dad's or when you talk to me first... Dang it, what a lame threat)." - Kathryn Christensen
"Tuesdays will never be the same." - Kristin Manning
"Seriously....what will I have to look forward to every Tuesday?" - Andrea Chapman
"Say it isn't so....." - Garn Christensen
":( sad Tuesday indeed." - Jason Eyre
These tweets were taken from Twitter within the last 24 hours:
"I will be heartbroken if @atownmania stops writing #SotT! #SaveATownsBlog" - @EmmaleeFairfax
The following are taken from wall posts and status update comments on my Facebook profile:
"Now what will I use to enlighten my soul on Tuesdays?!" - Christopher Pitts
"Best wishes." - Janae Balibrea
"I have a lot of favorite newsletters...I love the dating stories, the DWTS predictions, rhymes, and so much more. Thank you SotT!!!" - Andrea Chapman
"If you decide to pass on the torch I can begin to blog on Tuesdays... it will never be as good as yours but hopefully it can fill the void in your follower's hearts." - Ed Rothlisberger
"'Best wishes'... That's what David Benoit said to me in the picture he signed. I think he really meant it." - Austin Christensen
"I'm very bummed if this really is the end... I honestly cannot believe it. Don't let it be so, A-Town!" - Stephanie Fox
"I sure hope this is not the finale!!!... I even just got a Twitter to follow you!!!!!" - Jonathan Blackham
"I revived my Twitter just to follow you. I don't really get into Twitter, so this is substantial!" - Stephanie Fox
"If you cancel SotT I'll never speak to you again! (except when I see you at mom and dad's or when you talk to me first... Dang it, what a lame threat)." - Kathryn Christensen
"Tuesdays will never be the same." - Kristin Manning
"Seriously....what will I have to look forward to every Tuesday?" - Andrea Chapman
"Say it isn't so....." - Garn Christensen
":( sad Tuesday indeed." - Jason Eyre
These tweets were taken from Twitter within the last 24 hours:
"I will be heartbroken if @atownmania stops writing #SotT! #SaveATownsBlog" - @EmmaleeFairfax
"Stop this madness. #SaveATownsBlog... #ATownManiacs" - @stephthefox
"@atownmania #ThankYouSotT for not only making Tuesdays bearable, but enjoyable!" - @crackalacka22
And this, via email:
"Although I may not respond every week, I really do look forward to reading the Newsletter every week. You have no idea how stoked I was to get a Shoutout a few weeks ago. It really was something I was waiting for. You crack me up sometimes, and at other times surprise me with your stories of dating and such (I still can't believe people were so stupid about the bath robe photos). If you do go through with your plan to stop the blog, I will have to start communicating with you in another way. Maybe I'll have to break down and join that Twitter thing." - Jordan Holmes
And finally, here are a couple other people who wanted to stop by and say goodbye:
"Hey A-Town, thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin on Dancing with the Stars. You picked me to win that Mirror Ball and we almost had it. Like you, I blame corruption in the system, but hey, what can you do now? Anyway, I just wanted to take a second really quick before I board this flight for New Hampshire to say thanks again and congratulations on an awesome run with the Newsletter. Live Free or Die!" - Evan Lysacek
"Aaron! Hey, buddy. It's Donny. I heard you're considering retirement! What a travesty, brother! I've loved being involved with 'Signs of the Times' and I'll miss it if you do decide to terminate publication. In closing, 'And they call it... puppy loooooooove...' I love you and I loved the Newsletter. Carry on! And best of luck to you in all that you do!" - Donny Osmond
"Hey A-Town. I hate you." - Ryan Seacrest
"Aaron, my friend. It is with the utmost regard that I address you this afternoon. Upon hearing your current predicament, my soul was racked with anguish. So many memories. So many memories we have together... Whatever you do, wherever you go, I know you will be great. So get out there, Aaron. Get out there and make some new memories! You know how to find me. Keep in touch, my good friend. Happy fourth birthday, 'Signs of the Times'!" - Craig T. Nelson
This is tough. I don't want things to end like this, but I just think it's an appropriate time to bring things to a close. One thing that I thought would be fun to do to close the Newsletter would be to have a guest blogger write one of the final segments. A couple people suggested this as an alternative, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I've asked one of my best friends, Ed Rothlisberger, to say a few words. Ed, take it away.
As the end of this blog approaches, A-Town has graciously asked me to contribute a small portion of my thoughts on Feeling Good about one’s own self. I have decided to talk about two separate issues, when I don’t Feel Good About Myself and when I do. In all honesty there is very little that doesn’t make me Feel Good About Myself. I tend to think I am a happy person and try to act accordingly. But there are two things that make me feel terrible about myself, one of which has been touched on before in the blog several times. The first is when I don’t do anything productive. Don’t get me wrong, I treasure days off from work but if I do nothing those days I feel like I just wasted a bunch of time. The second is when I get treated poorly by girls. I could go on for hours, days, maybe even weeks about this subject but let me say just two things. First, just because on the outside a guy seems ok doesn’t mean he is on the inside. Secondly ladies, treat guys how you want to be treated. If you don’t like guys leading you on, DON’T lead guys on. If you don’t like guys lying to you, DON’T lie to them. You ladies do not know the effect you have on us guys so seriously, if you expect to be treated well treat us guys with respect. Now, this doesn’t apply to all girls but I’m just throwing it out there again, you do not know and fully comprehend sometimes the effect you have on us. Ok, enough of that, here are two things that make me Feel Good About Myself. One is, strangely enough, related to work. I work selling men’s clothing, specifically suits and dress shirts, at Macy’s in Orem. I get four main kinds of customers: I get people getting married, which can be awesome sales, but when they bring their fiancée I always just want to hurry and get it over with. I get young couples interviewing/starting new jobs which gives me the opportunity to play around with cute babies. I get elderly couples where the wife literally drags the husband along telling me, “He hasn’t had a new suit in 15 years, find him one.” And then I get the ones that make me Feel Good: the soon-to-be-departing missionaries. It makes me Feel super Good helping them out, even if the missionary discount is only 10%. I have even had many a mother cry when we are done because we were able to save them a lot of money and sometimes able to find solutions to hard problems. So that makes me feel grand. One last thing that makes me Feel Good is having good friends, such as A-Town. I’ll be honest, ever since about this time in 2010 I have been struggling with Feeling Good about who I am. Whenever I get down on myself, a good friend is there to lend an ear, give good advice, or even to hang out with. So to all of you people who are good friends to others keep it up, you never know how much they will appreciate you helping them to Feel Good About Themselves.
-Ed Rothlisberger
Amen and amen. What a great guy. Thanks, Ed, for being the first guest blogger ever.
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Well, I suppose that's about it. All she wrote - or all he wrote, I guess you'd say. It's been a good time and I've really enjoyed creating the blog. I want to especially give a Shoutout of the Week to a couple people who were with me all the way to the end. Here's a Shoutout of the Week for Andrea Chapman, Kristin Manning, Stephanie Fox, Suzy Petersen, and Jonathan Blackham, who campaigned to the bitter end trying to get me to hang on. I wish everybody could have been like you all the time. I appreciate the support and the messages we've exchanged in the last few days - the dying days - of my Newsletter. Thanks again.
Wow, this ended up being a bit longer than I thought it would be - and it took me until the late hours of the evening to finish it up. Sorry about that. Ideally, I could have published this a little bit sooner, but you guys know how busy my schedule has been lately. So, um... Well... I guess that's it? It's hard to find words to wrap this up. So, um... Hmm? Hang on. What is this? Back in the original days of **QUESTION TIME!!**, I would actually be handed Questions to read. Well, I've just been handed an envelope, but I seriously have no idea what's inside. Hang on. Wow. Well, that's interesting. Verrrrry interesting...
"Dear Mr. Christensen,
Warmest regards from the... We have become aware of a television program that aired in 2005... seemed to be of good quality... generally humorous... starring the Brothers Christensen and Craig T. Nelson... potential interest in re-booting the franchise... if you would be able to come to some sort of agreement?... However, we would have need of re-casting one of the lead roles... therefore... blah blah blah... production starting immediately..."
WOW! Do you understand what this means?? Some of you may be familiar with a television show that Austin, Craig T., and I starred in back in the summer of 2005 called "The District"... It centered around the job that Austin and I had mowing lawns at the Jordan School District. That is where Craig T. and I originally met. We became fast friends as we produced the part-action, part-sitcom that was wildly popular with Loyal Subscribers during the E.P.B. era... They're offering to renew "The District" for a second season?? Starting in April? I assume the lead role they'll need to have re-cast would be Austin's... He's engaged. He's no good to us now. But I'm available. I don't think Craig T. is doing anything. And, oddly enough, I've got another friend who'd love in on the action. That's it! I'm in! Retirement? No more Newsletter? That's P.M.U.!! I'm not going anywhere! I had no idea that another TV offer was right around the corner and there's no way I'm turning this down. Ok. All right. Change of plans.
"@atownmania #ThankYouSotT for not only making Tuesdays bearable, but enjoyable!" - @crackalacka22
And this, via email:
"Although I may not respond every week, I really do look forward to reading the Newsletter every week. You have no idea how stoked I was to get a Shoutout a few weeks ago. It really was something I was waiting for. You crack me up sometimes, and at other times surprise me with your stories of dating and such (I still can't believe people were so stupid about the bath robe photos). If you do go through with your plan to stop the blog, I will have to start communicating with you in another way. Maybe I'll have to break down and join that Twitter thing." - Jordan Holmes
And finally, here are a couple other people who wanted to stop by and say goodbye:
"Hey A-Town, thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin on Dancing with the Stars. You picked me to win that Mirror Ball and we almost had it. Like you, I blame corruption in the system, but hey, what can you do now? Anyway, I just wanted to take a second really quick before I board this flight for New Hampshire to say thanks again and congratulations on an awesome run with the Newsletter. Live Free or Die!" - Evan Lysacek
"Aaron! Hey, buddy. It's Donny. I heard you're considering retirement! What a travesty, brother! I've loved being involved with 'Signs of the Times' and I'll miss it if you do decide to terminate publication. In closing, 'And they call it... puppy loooooooove...' I love you and I loved the Newsletter. Carry on! And best of luck to you in all that you do!" - Donny Osmond
"Hey A-Town. I hate you." - Ryan Seacrest
"Aaron, my friend. It is with the utmost regard that I address you this afternoon. Upon hearing your current predicament, my soul was racked with anguish. So many memories. So many memories we have together... Whatever you do, wherever you go, I know you will be great. So get out there, Aaron. Get out there and make some new memories! You know how to find me. Keep in touch, my good friend. Happy fourth birthday, 'Signs of the Times'!" - Craig T. Nelson
This is tough. I don't want things to end like this, but I just think it's an appropriate time to bring things to a close. One thing that I thought would be fun to do to close the Newsletter would be to have a guest blogger write one of the final segments. A couple people suggested this as an alternative, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I've asked one of my best friends, Ed Rothlisberger, to say a few words. Ed, take it away.
As the end of this blog approaches, A-Town has graciously asked me to contribute a small portion of my thoughts on Feeling Good about one’s own self. I have decided to talk about two separate issues, when I don’t Feel Good About Myself and when I do. In all honesty there is very little that doesn’t make me Feel Good About Myself. I tend to think I am a happy person and try to act accordingly. But there are two things that make me feel terrible about myself, one of which has been touched on before in the blog several times. The first is when I don’t do anything productive. Don’t get me wrong, I treasure days off from work but if I do nothing those days I feel like I just wasted a bunch of time. The second is when I get treated poorly by girls. I could go on for hours, days, maybe even weeks about this subject but let me say just two things. First, just because on the outside a guy seems ok doesn’t mean he is on the inside. Secondly ladies, treat guys how you want to be treated. If you don’t like guys leading you on, DON’T lead guys on. If you don’t like guys lying to you, DON’T lie to them. You ladies do not know the effect you have on us guys so seriously, if you expect to be treated well treat us guys with respect. Now, this doesn’t apply to all girls but I’m just throwing it out there again, you do not know and fully comprehend sometimes the effect you have on us. Ok, enough of that, here are two things that make me Feel Good About Myself. One is, strangely enough, related to work. I work selling men’s clothing, specifically suits and dress shirts, at Macy’s in Orem. I get four main kinds of customers: I get people getting married, which can be awesome sales, but when they bring their fiancée I always just want to hurry and get it over with. I get young couples interviewing/starting new jobs which gives me the opportunity to play around with cute babies. I get elderly couples where the wife literally drags the husband along telling me, “He hasn’t had a new suit in 15 years, find him one.” And then I get the ones that make me Feel Good: the soon-to-be-departing missionaries. It makes me Feel super Good helping them out, even if the missionary discount is only 10%. I have even had many a mother cry when we are done because we were able to save them a lot of money and sometimes able to find solutions to hard problems. So that makes me feel grand. One last thing that makes me Feel Good is having good friends, such as A-Town. I’ll be honest, ever since about this time in 2010 I have been struggling with Feeling Good about who I am. Whenever I get down on myself, a good friend is there to lend an ear, give good advice, or even to hang out with. So to all of you people who are good friends to others keep it up, you never know how much they will appreciate you helping them to Feel Good About Themselves.
-Ed Rothlisberger
Amen and amen. What a great guy. Thanks, Ed, for being the first guest blogger ever.
.jpg)
Wow, this ended up being a bit longer than I thought it would be - and it took me until the late hours of the evening to finish it up. Sorry about that. Ideally, I could have published this a little bit sooner, but you guys know how busy my schedule has been lately. So, um... Well... I guess that's it? It's hard to find words to wrap this up. So, um... Hmm? Hang on. What is this? Back in the original days of **QUESTION TIME!!**, I would actually be handed Questions to read. Well, I've just been handed an envelope, but I seriously have no idea what's inside. Hang on. Wow. Well, that's interesting. Verrrrry interesting...
"Dear Mr. Christensen,
Warmest regards from the... We have become aware of a television program that aired in 2005... seemed to be of good quality... generally humorous... starring the Brothers Christensen and Craig T. Nelson... potential interest in re-booting the franchise... if you would be able to come to some sort of agreement?... However, we would have need of re-casting one of the lead roles... therefore... blah blah blah... production starting immediately..."
WOW! Do you understand what this means?? Some of you may be familiar with a television show that Austin, Craig T., and I starred in back in the summer of 2005 called "The District"... It centered around the job that Austin and I had mowing lawns at the Jordan School District. That is where Craig T. and I originally met. We became fast friends as we produced the part-action, part-sitcom that was wildly popular with Loyal Subscribers during the E.P.B. era... They're offering to renew "The District" for a second season?? Starting in April? I assume the lead role they'll need to have re-cast would be Austin's... He's engaged. He's no good to us now. But I'm available. I don't think Craig T. is doing anything. And, oddly enough, I've got another friend who'd love in on the action. That's it! I'm in! Retirement? No more Newsletter? That's P.M.U.!! I'm not going anywhere! I had no idea that another TV offer was right around the corner and there's no way I'm turning this down. Ok. All right. Change of plans.
I'm keeping the Newsletter. I'm going to continue to blog every Tuesday until... well... probably until I die. We're going to make some big changes. We're going to maintain some of the very popular segments we've already established, but I'm also going to be incorporating some new ideas. Guest bloggers. What a great idea. (Your idea, not mine, but I like it. I really like it.) We'll have a guest blogger once every week or two, depending on how many of you are up for it. I've got the perfect person for Issue No. 201. Michael Brunson. I know he's reading. And I'm throwing down the gauntlet. Mikey Boy! Write me something. You know how to find me. I'll feature it in next week's Newsletter. For the rest of you, as always, if you're interested in participating, I'm always only a virtual second away. It's not like I'm difficult to get a hold of. If you've got a voice, you should let it be heard. I'll be tweaking a few things to revamp the Newsletter and it's going to be good. For now, "The District: Season Two" will make an appearance (tentatively) on the first Tuesday of every month. If you aren't familiar with the show, you will be soon. In fact, I could probably go dig up the old episodes in the E.P.B. Newsletter if I really had to. Earlier this morning, Kristin Manning said Tuesdays would never be the same. Truer words were never spoken. It's good to be back.
Until next Time,
Move It! Sell It! And Leave the Door Open!
Aaron
1 comment:
Words cannot express, but maybe a single one can: bummer. :-(
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