aurora borealis .

I was reading an AOL article today when I stumbled upon a set of pictures of the Northern lights, scientifically known as aurora borealis. I don't really have much of an official bucket list, but if I had one written in stone this would definitely be on it -- to see it in person I mean. There are so many pictures online, but I'm sure, as is the case with many other breathtaking sights, there is nothing like seeing it in person.

cynicism & me .

A few weeks ago before break I sat down and had a long conversation, bit of a life talk if you will, with a friend whom I am still getting to know (I'd like to think we recently bridged the gap from acquaintances to friends..). Anyways, we got to talking about various topics and she commented at the end of it all saying I seemed extremely cynical. Cynical is one of those words that I find is hard to describe or slap a definition on, but I went to the dictionary anyways later and one part of the definition was that a cynic was "distrustful of human sincerity or integrity." I can't say that I disagree...

Music Monday #61

This week's song is I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2.

Rule #1 .

I mentioned before I was going to start a list of rules on life. Just things that I decided or picked up along the way that maybe might be useful for myself later in life, or even for future (potential) kids. And so this is the start. Originally I was going to try to get a whole list together and post them all at once, but I think this might be a bit better. And I can post them one at a time as I decide on them. Some may very well end up being completely cliché. But I could honestly give a rat's ass.

devotionals ftw & coming home .

The devotional for today (being Sunday, but sorta also Saturday or at least that's how I count it because I haven't gone to bed sleep yet) was a pretty awesome one. I have always been a proponent of the phrase 'carpe diem.' Sieze the day, yeah? Exploit life to it's fullest potential and grab opportunity before it passes you by. But from now on, I think I might be inclined to think it through a bit more.

refreshing .

Given the nature of the season, it's time to take a step back and reevaluate. To say that I want to revisit and reevaluate my life would be a bit of an overstatement, but on the right track. People always seem to make resolutions at the turn of the new year. But if those prove to be irrelevant, or if things simply aren't turning the way you imagined, let's consider this time a great time to amend prior resolutions (whether they happened at New Years or not).

passive social media .

Now that social media has taken over the world, it's pretty easy to blast your emotions out over the internet. It's funny also how easy it can be misinterpreted. I got rid of my Facebook profile almost two years ago, but I have since made a Twitter, and kind of enjoy it. Though of course, Twitter provides the same opportunity to passively blast emotions. I do it all the time, so don't think I'm being hypocritical, either.

a whole slew of things .

Alright. Time to get down to business. I've been putting this post off all day, trying to figure out how the deuce I was going to focus on one topic, after all the kinds going through my head. And what I've realized is that, I can't choose. So this is probably going to be an incredibly long post. Bear with me -- and if you read the whole thing, bravo to you.

outsider .

New scene, new place. Traveled far from home.
Things are not the same here. Things are different.
I may be of the same age, type, level, and yet I am not the same.
I am not a part of this world; I am not a part of you.
And no matter what we do --
This thing, I think, might always be true.
I don't just think it; I fear it too.

Music Monday #60

Had to dig into an old list of songs I was going to use as Music Mondays for this week's song. However, still a great one -- this week's song is All the Kings Horses by Led Zeppelin.

modern day marvels .

So today I am in the midst of embarking on a trip to Boston to see a close friend and celebrate her birthday. I'm going all the way from my home via public transportation, with the exception of my mother driving me to the train station in the morning. The ride into New York's Penn Station via NJ Transit is one of the most awesome experiences I think a person can have. Granted, I never travel during the morning rush hour, which may very well affect my feelings toward the trip.

Proposal

Hello all, this is not so much a real blog as it is just a little request I'd like to make of you all. I landed a job in January working for an author of suspense / mystery in a neighboring city from where I go to school, and since then have been working to help design and update his social media, design and start a blog for him, and whatever else. He didn't grow up in our crazy technological age, and thus was a bit behind the times and between cranking out books and making appearances, simply didn't have the time to do the work I now do for him. He's the nicest guy and the best boss I could have, always being understanding of school or whatever conflicts there sometimes are.

Anyways, more importantly, he just came out with a new book. This is a bit of a new world (the eBook business that is) and while I (and he) prefer to hold a real book in my hands, the way the business is going is eBooks, just as iTunes introduced single song purchases digitally. That being said, this new book came out exclusively as an eBook offered on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Apple Bookstore. I'm not saying you have to buy anything, but I've read part of the new book (he gave me an official manuscript before it even came out! Like I said, crazy cool boss) and it's really good, and I don't even really like suspense / mystery, so you know I'm not just saying that. It's definitely different, but a good sort of different.

So, if you have the time, perhaps you could check out the book, and if you like what you see, maybe even buy it (it's only 3 bucks..). If not, could you pass the word along to anyone you know that may like it? I understand this is a bit of a shameless plug, but I'm just trying to help out. SO, that being said, here are all the links to anything you may need. Thanks in advance!!

Website: www.carltsmith.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/carltsmith
Facebook Fanpage: www.facebook.com/carltsmithfanpage
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Season-Killing-Sturtevant-Carsyn-Thoreau-ebook/dp/B007IWW63W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332123070&sr=8-1
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-season-for-killing-carl-t-smith/1109455169?ean=2940014301947&itm=3&usri=carl+t.+smith+a+season+for+killing

dashboard confessional .

After a super long night last night (and falling asleep by accident in the most random of places all day today) I remembered I had work to do for my boss. I sorta make up my own hours and since what I do for him is all online, I can work on it whenever I want to. While that's great, it means that you need to motivate yourself to go and get things done. So naturally, I have to push myself a bit to do it. However, today I had the perfect soundtrack -- Dashboard Confessional.

tonight .

Tonight started out great and never ended! What a crazy turn of events. Let me try to sum it up. It's the last day before break, and I'm flying out of GSP in a few hours to head back up to Jersey. I had to leave for the airport at 330am... naturally the smart thing to do would be to go to sleep early so I could be well rested for the early wake up. So of course, I decided to go out and party on my last night in college town for awhile. And let me say it was well worth it!

musical endeavors .

In keeping with what I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I've been picking up my guitar and playing when I can. I'm gonna start pumpin' out some songs, too. Or at least that's the plan. Time management is a real doozy sometimes... But what I did want to say is that I'm going to put my original stuff on hold for the time being. Instead, I'm gonna cover some stuff. Maybe even put it up on Youtube. Which, would, of course, entail me actually playing the stuff and filming it... but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

what is expected .

This one comes from the daily blog perusal. There are some girls out there who claim that they are "old fashioned." Well, old fashioned carries a lot of different meanings. And yet, the one that they are referring to is one of chivalrous consequence, one where by definition the guy in a relationship will pamper, adorn with gifts and shower with every sweet feeling and emotion possible his significant other (forgive the horrendous grammar; trying to make a point). But I think that a lot of girls use the "I'm old fashioned" remark as a façade for "I really don't want to pay for anything, my boyfriend should be doing that."

blanks .

I don't have the slightest clue of what to write about. I've gone through an entire day, and the things that are on my to-do list I just am not in the right mindset to go through. So here's the most imminent things on my mind.

Music Monday #58

This week's song is Howlin' For You by The Black Keys. (Note: I put the music vid in because it's pretty good... but you can get just the song on YouTube)

what would you do for a friend .

I've been meaning to write about this for awhile; I just haven't gotten down to it. Believe it or not, even though I have a large list of topics that I've jotted down for topics, I need to be in the right mood for it, which is kinda interesting. Anyways, this particular one is about friends. This is going to sound cliché... but I think that maybe the saying that we take them for granted has some truth to it. But! Luckily for you, this is not what this is mainly about. To quote the Holy Book...

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."
- John 15:13

quotables .

Back to an old friend! This quote comes from Lucy Maud Montgomery, and says "There is much in the world for us all if we only have the eyes to see it, the heart to love it, and the hand to gather it ourselves." I gotta admit, after a fun day of tailgating yesterday throughout the afternoon for baseball, I'm in a great mood today. Needless to say, however, I needed all last night to recover from it and did zero work -- and so I fall in the cliché Sunday-no-fun-homework-oh-shit-I-have-so-much-to-do routine.

home will always be home .

I've had a few friends lately struggling with their home lives. Whether it's their siblings or their parents or something else entirely, there can and almost inevitably will always be issues at home at one point or another. It's just the way life is. There is something my parents used to ask me when I acted up at home; they would say "Do you treat your friends that way, or your teachers at school?" The answer was always "Well, obviously not." Why is it that we feel we can treat the people closest to us like trash? It's not because we think we can get away with it. It's because we know that through it all, we can unleash all hell and no matter what they'll still be there; it's a pretty incredible feat.

kony peach-pear nonsense .

I'm sure I need not say much if I mention the name Kony. It has spread like wildfire and I'm sure by now half the world (if not all of it) is aware of Invisible Children's Stop Kony / Kony 2012 campaign. I figured eventually I should put in my two cents, or at least document my thoughts on the issue if I ever felt like checking back on it.

first kiss .

It was a date for that night, and I was a wreck
And by that I mean my heart was aflutter
Was hoping I wouldn't miss or stutter
Or embarrass myself because I was so nervous

i am not a thrillseeker .

I watched a video today about Felix Baumgartner, a man who has been breaking records left and right regarding parachuting and base jumping. So watch the video first.

Music Monday #57

Well, if all is working right now, you should already be listening to this week's song! It's a remix of Coldplay's Paradise.

the tough guy .

The tough guy act is one often seen everywhere by many people who want to portray themselves as the guy who never cries, nothing can bother him and honestly, he could give a rat's ass about anything. And yet it's hard to say that there is truly anyone who is 100% hard through and through, where nothing can reach them on the gooey inside (these people are beginning to sound like some sort of truffle dessert...). Despite being a rough and tough no-nonsense person, I think it's safe to say that everyone has their breaking point.

pick up .

This one is dedicated to those who reached out over the past day... you guys are irreplaceable.

today .

Today was a weird day, in that after two days of it feeling like Friday, it actually was Friday. And normally, Friday brings a sort of hope of a good few days to come before school resumes. But today, that wasn't really the case. And I wish I could describe what exactly is going on, but I can't. I feel like I'm on a pogo stick, the way my mentality shifts. Some days I feel fantastically productive, like I'm on the right track to a life that I have decided on and with goals that I can achieve. These days there a lot of things that go through my mind daily and it seems like a lot of unnecessary yet unavoidable stressors that are present too. Wish I could say life has been grand, but it hasn't.

sunrise v. sunset .

It's no secret that I am completely enamored with sunrises and sunsets. One of the reasons I love working super hours at the club is the fact that I am literally at work before the sun comes up, and I have the pleasure of seeing it come up all the time. Most would just see it as awful that you'd have to get up that early for work... I love it. The peace and quiet in the building, the beauty that ensues, not to mention the day goes much quicker. But that's not what this is about. I love sunrises and sunsets, and I don't think I could possible decide which I like better. There is something magical about both. This though popped into my mind while reading the blog of Carlotta Cisternas, and she happened to put a picture of a sunrise in one of her recent posts.

middle school dances .

It's so strange to even mention this, because it feels like forever ago... and that only makes me realize how much older I've grown and how fast life is slipping away. And yet, there are so many memories that flood back when I recall the time. I think many a time we forget about the past -- and it becomes a distant memory that we put on a shelf in the attics of our minds. There simply are too many things going on in the present, and too many things to worry about in the future for us to worry about those things... right? Maybe. But in this moment, I'm willing to forget about that stuff. And so I will gladly take this opportunity to reminisce about the past.

it might be time .

I think... that maybe it's time to give music a real shot. I don't mean as a career, but I do mean to really explore the possibilities with what I can do. I have been so gifted in so many things... and I'd like to think that music is one of them. I'm embarrassed to say that my guitar has sat under my bed collecting dust, and I probably haven't picked it up and really played for awhile in almost a year... maybe more. That thing used to be my baby, and now I've let it fall into neglect beyond comprehension. I miss it...

Music Monday #56

Well to be perfectly honest this week there have been a good 5 or so songs I've thought were worthy of Music Monday; but I decided on this one, Mr. Chen, Sailmaker by Port Blue.

i'm back!

Wow, so hello and many apologies for a long-awaited post! (Well, maybe not long awaited, but I am very well aware it has indeed been a few days since I've written!) Before I get started on this particular post, man, let me tell you -- it has been an eventful couple of days (let me just expel the notions of the diary-blogger before I get on to real material... I know; who could possible endure such a travesty?!). I had a law test on Tuesday and a review today, and most of my time has been eaten up studying for the test or working tirelessly on the project. But the test went okay and the review went well and now, halfway through the week it feels like Friday! Though of course I still have plenty of things to occupy my time with. But, I figured I would take tonight off just to enjoy myself. That will probably come back later to slap me in the face... but until then, I'm gonna just milk the opportunity. During these short past few days I must have been mentally inspired, because I have like 10 new ideas for blogs. Maybe I just went through blog withdrawal... either way, keep ya eyes out for some (hopefully) good material comin' your way. Oh and one more thing? Watched Zombieland tonight; it was fucking awesome. The end.