mothers & blogging .

Over the past year or so I've been on Blogger, I've realized that there are seriously a TON of moms who also blog out there. I mean, there are other things I've sort of felt are more prominent writing groups -- like there are a lot of young couples, or newly married couples, who want to document their adventures together. There are also some family-wide blogs, where the parents write down what's going on in their kids' lives as well as their own, in addition to what the family in general is up to. I also think that the majority of people who blog are women... though I haven't seen an official demographic or anything so I can't confirm that. I will say that that might make sense though, since I think that women are more prone to talk about feelings and whatnot. Either way, I've been loving the community and the friendships made on here. People may be quick to bash online / digital acquaintances, but in my eyes it's not lame at all; it's very real. Blogging has opened another window to that sort of thing.

captchas .

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the most annoying thing on the internet: captchas. A lot of people have them on their blogs to protect from spam comments (and let's be honest, I would rather do that, because who knows what kind of awful spam is out there; who makes spam for blogs anyways? stupid); I have it as well. And while it may be much more annoying not to mention time consuming to put in these captchas, in the end it's probably worthwhile. Have you ever really stopped to look at them though? Some of them look like they're written in some crazy indecipherable code! You'll try and try again to no avail and eventually are just going to give up! I don't blame you though. Captchas suck, no matter how useful they are.

being (un)friendly .

I just read a post by a blogger friend named Jacy entitled How To Make New Friends. It was all about putting yourself out there and really at least giving a friendship a shot by taking the first step. Well, I'm going to talk about this from the other point of view. I've never thought of myself as super outgoing, but I wouldn't exactly say that I'm a recluse of any sort. I'm somewhere in the middle, but probably lean towards more of not exactly seeking out friendships actively.

dress fresh to death .

This one is more directed to my female readers, but what is the freshest outfit you could see a guy wearing? It seems that these days the usual T-shirt and jeans have been replaced with chinos or slacks and something that looks a lot more stylish that what I ever wear (usually hit the gym every other day, so cutoffs and athletic shorts are the norm). While I was in Europe my eyes were opened to a whole other world when I walked into H&M (which, oddly enough, exists in America as well, and yet I had never come across it). My life was changed.

Music Monday #65

This week's song is Domino by Jessie J. ft. Katy Perry.

Southern weather .

So today there were some heavy storms in the forecast. Funniest part about my school? If it starts thundering or lightning all of a sudden a bunch of sirens go off for like 5 minutes straight and then there is this voice that thunders (pun intended) all around campus saying "Warning. Warning. Lightning in the area. Please seek shelter immediately." The best part is that everyone completely ignores this. I mean, let's be honest, you can't exactly just blow off class because it's raining. And because the sirens happen often even when it's not even storming that bad, it makes people just ignore it to begin with. It's basically like the siren that cried lightning.

Cooper sightings .

Inevitably at the end of the year the library goes from being a place of silent empty solitude to a bloodbath of people fighting for tables and study units. You see everyone walking around looking for a place to sit, and the one place you do find is the one damn table in the whole place that doesn't have an outlet nearby (though I must say, they've worked on that a lot and fixed it a lot).

Honestly, though when it gets to this point I find the library extremely distracting. How do people get anything done when there's always someone walking by or talking about something or doing something goofy. And then there's always that attractive girl in the corner doing her work and some kid wearing a shirt with something stupid on it. And the person that gets up to get coffee every ten minutes. It's just pure entertainment. Mmmm people watching at its best.

writing and writing to.

When I first started this blog I used to just write. It didn't really matter if I had readers or not because they didn't exist. I just spilled out whatever came to mind. Although, as time goes on the inevitable happens and you meet some other bloggers, you comment on people's stuff, and your blog gets a little bit of recognition.

Now some people are blogger addicts (not saying that's a bad thing) and put an awful lot of time into not only writing but reading other people's blogs, looking up new blogs, adding comments. I purposely limit myself a bit what I comment on, because if I comment on everything then I feel like my comments have less validity and purpose. That way people will know that if I commented, then I was really touched and it'll mean a lot more.

crunch time .

Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of the semester. The last two weeks, the last week of classes and finals week, are without a doubt the most stressful two weeks of the year for most. And yet prior to the elation regarding the fact that classes are over and summer holiday is in session, we must first haul ass to ensure that we get some what we need to regarding our classes and school work, hence, my absence from blogging.

heavy lifting .

This is another devotional-inspired wisdom post that gets emailed to me from a site called GodSpeaks.com. Here's the quote:

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
--2 Corinthians 12:10

I love that line, "for when I am weak, then I am strong.

how to hear the wind .

A few days ago I got a Daily Bible Verse in my email that had a line of scripture that I could identify with. It always amazes me that there are little bits of gold like this in the Bible and yet you really have to do a bit of digging in order to actually find them. Lucky for me, I have these daily verses shot to me via email, which is sort of reading the Bible, even though I'm not physically opening it. Here's the verse:

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

--John 3:8

Music Monday #64

This week's song is Life After You by Daughtry.

hometown disappearance .

Occasionally I'll get a little bit curious about what the people I went to High School with are doing. And every time I do, and start doing some digging, I realize that I am so glad I'm no longer affiliated with these people. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the town I grew up in, and the household I grew up in. But I'm glad I didn't decide to go to Rutgers or Delaware or TCNJ or Penn State. It'd be like a continuation of high school. I find it so strange to think about the possibility of seeing a bunch of people I went to high school with at college. It'd be like I never even graduated. And I am completely aware of the fact that there would be plenty of other people at that college too, but it still wouldn't feel completely new and different. Heck, if I had wanted to, I could've totally recreated myself here at Clemson. I didn't, but the point is I could have.

leave the past in the past .

It is way too easy to sit and think about all that has happened in your life and lose the time that is passing you by in the present. To sit there and dwell about all that has happened before. Granted, sometimes it is interesting to look back and see how things have changed you, how the people you've met have affected you, and how much bigger you are now, both physically and mentally, sort of like how much you've grown. But for some reason I can't help but think that thinking about stuff like this is a complete waste of time.

Life Rule #4

Life Rule #4: Acceptance. Acceptance of everything, not just people, or situations. Accept that sometimes, the shit is gonna hit the fan. Accept that people will not always like you. Accept that you may lose your job, your lady, or your friends. Accept that not everyone likes the same shit as you, and accept that people may look down upon you for what you do, who you are, or what you look like. Accept that you will be judged and that you will judge other people, even if it's subliminally. Accept yourself, and who you are, and if you don't like it, change it. Accept the way life throws its curveballs in your direction. Accept that sometimes projects will forever remain unfinished. Accept that accidents happen, and injuries do too. Accept responsibility for yourself and what you do. Accept the goals you set for yourself and make them happen. This really can go on forever in a thousand different ways. The rule is simple. You can apply it to virtually anything.

a different viewpoint .

A long while back (at this point, very possibly over a year ago) I follow the online blog / newsletter / whatever you want to call it of a guy named Max Dubinski. While I don't always agree with what he says, and sometimes am frustrated with his rollercoaster-ride way of writing, the most recent edition that was shot to my email touched me. There are two noteworthy sections that I want to mention in particular, despite the fact that quite honestly the whole thing is worth reading. (Quick pause while I go and search for a link...)

cities & water, with music .

A couple of things hit me today as I was working on some things. The first is a Youtube video that I had bookmarked long ago. It was back when I was looking for some serious trance music, and though the connotation of the phrase 'trance music' may yield something absolutely crazy and odd, (I present exhibit a, people dancing under the bridge...)

when instead it is something much more calming, albeit upbeat at the same time. It's hard to describe really. So instead, if you feel so inclined you can just listen to it instead. Trance is a lot like house. Maybe there's more soundscapes. Or pads in general. Who knows; a lot of electronic music has gray lines between genres. It all sort of mixes together in the end. Not to mention people have a tendency to make up their own genre all together. Don't you worry, inspired by dubstep, brostep, twostep, house, and others, pretty soon I'm gonna be making some wafflestep. I have yet to decide what that will be, besides electronic, of course. Anyways, Headstrong feat. Shelley Harland by Helpless and remixed by Aurosonic Progressive is below. Phew... that's a mouthful.

where'd you go .

As I was looking over my blog and trying to decide if I wanted to change some things up, I saw the "Blogs You Should Check Out" section I put up a while back so that other people could get an idea of all the people's blogs that I read. Plus, a little bit of publicity for my friends on here always helps right? Though upon reading that list I realized how many of them haven't posted in forever.

Music Monday #63

This week's song is To Build A Home by Cinematic Orchestra.

a newspring agenda .

Today being Easter and all, I put a little bit of thought into the other places of worship that are out there. One that I think has always sort of been in the spotlight of controversy is Newspring, which has been growing exponentially and seems to be a bit hit for many people at the college age, in addition to many young adults. But I'm still not buying into it. Some say that I should try it; and to that, I say no thank you. I'm going to try to approach this from an objective standpoint for the most part, but, I obviously have an opinion, and this is not a newsletter, this is a blog, my blog, and so my opinion will inevitably come through in that. So keep that in mind.

uncle mac .

I've talked about Mac Lethal before. Mr. David McCleary Sheldon is a Kansas City native, and oh, did I mention he's a rapper? I'm not big into too much rap -- but this guy has changed my perspective. There are some people that can just really spit, and he's one of them. But he's not just about the rap. There is so much more than laying down words. This guy spills the emotion out. His stuff reminds me of the way Eminem leaves it all out there and doesn't hold back. And some of the songs are funny, while some are downright serious. One in particular comes to mind, one he posted on Youtube called "I Can Feel It in the Air."

the difference between boys and girls .

I'd like to preface this with the fact that this is done purely for humourous purposes, and I am not attempting to offend anyone, or be rude, or anything like that. So enjoy it for what it is. And of course, this is from a guy's perspective -- so take that into account.

music piracy .

I think that everyone has downloaded something illegally. And yet there is this constant ethical battle of musicians and artists losing money from it, and it's not right, and it's stealing and whatnot. Well I'm gonna give you my point of view about all this.

Speedos .

I recently started following a Workout Inspiration blog to help motivate myself to be even more obsessed with exercise than I already am. Thing is, I lift all the time, but have been severely lacking in my cardio. One of my roommates is a pro cyclist and so I was in the habit of riding about every other day, but haven't in almost two weeks (which unfortunately means that I most likely lost all progress that I made; it's amazing what consistency can do for you). I really want and need to get back into it. Starting this weekend! I'll be out riding on Easter for sure.

Rule #2 .

Life rule number 2: Life is full of disappointments. Get used to it.

At first glance, this may seem like an extremely cynical and pessimistic thing to say. But you haven't yet allowed me to fully explain my position on this. I think that the sooner we realize that there will be disappointments, the sooner we can get over them. There is no point in dwelling on false expectations, broken promises, or hopes lost in the wind. It's much easier on you, mentally, emotionally, maybe even physically, if you are able to keep some thick skin and not lose it when something doesn't go according to plan, or something doesn't go how you thought it would.

Music Monday #62

There's always a list of sweet songs I've heard during the week and I have to choose -- but this one is one I literally discovered early last week, and had pretty much playing nonstop for the rest of at least the school week. It's called Base Jumping by Port Blue.

The Lottery .

Given that the Mega Millions lottery happened just a few days ago, I figured I'd give that a try in terms of a topic to talk about. I think inside we all wish we could buy a lottery ticket for a few bucks and end up winning millions -- if only it were that easy! I read an article about it recently as social media blasted the world with the news of a record-breaking pot and tons of people across the country rushed out to get last-minute tickets, and it had to do with all of the things that have a better chance of happening than you winning the lottery -- which conveniently included dying in multiple different ways. How's that for a gamble? (pun intended)

April and the Fool .

Beyond the horizon, there it lay
Across the shores to Amerikay
The deepening blue of ocean's top
would soon yield brighter blues, then stop
For upon the shore a Fool there was
Gazing up at the morning sun.
And he knew that from month to month
That this one in particular would be so much fun

The Help .

I've been on an Emma Stone kick ever since I watched Zombieland. It struck me that she is an unbelievably versatile actress -- between the different ways she can be in that movie, or the teenage girl in Easy A, or whatever else. Jordan and I came home from the game and made a Cook Out run, and decided we would go and watch a movie -- My roommate Greg was here, and we all decided we should watch The Help. Quite honestly, I didn't expect too much despite the fact it had had smashing reviews -- It simply didn't seem like my kind of movie. But, Emma Stone was in it and I'd liked everything else she'd done. So hey, why not.

just hangin' with the guys .

Hello all. So I know I haven't written in a few days. I've been a little busy, but aren't we always? Normally I make time to write, but I guess I just didn't the past few days. I'll catch up in the end. So! That bein' said... this weekend has been absolutely excellent thus far. I'm sure tomorrow will be less exciting (I plan on filling it with studying and work on my architecture project, which is in dire need of it) and so I've left myself in a bit of a hole as far as work is concerned, but you know what? Once in a while we all need a break.