what love is, 2012 edition .

I've learned some new things since the last time I posted about love. I'd like to share those here:

Love never gives up. It doesn't come and go like the wind. Love gives you the strength to work things out, and the courage to hold on tight when the going gets tough. Love can be harsh, but it will only make you a better person in the end. It will constructively criticize, but proudly empower. It will fill your heart and then some, and your heart will begin to beat out of your chest daily. Love will make you feel higher than the sky, and will pull you out of the holes you fall into. It will be there cheering you on in your greatest moments, but it will also be by your side during your darkest days.

Once you find it, don't let it go. Because it only comes once in a blue moon.

life for our kids .

On the LeLove blog today, there was a great post about the way life has changed over the past few generations. It brought up some really strikingly true observations, like how in marriage it really did used to mean 'til death do us part' and not 'as long as we may love each other.' Why is it now that relationships come and go like the wind, and that engagement is something that you need extra fingers and toes to count? And what about divorce rates? Aren't they through the roof too?

NYC is home .

I sat down last night to watch some TV shows on Netflix, and after finishing the first season of Workaholics, happened to stumble upon Heroes. I was really psyched for the initial season opener, and watched a few sporadic episodes over the course of that first season. However, I never really got the chance to seriously get into it. I really like being able to watch stuff while I work, and this is awesome! Now while Netflix and the opportunities there are awesome, this post was supposeddd to be about NYC. And I'm getting to that.

***It's Finally Here***

SO remember last week I posted about bring a new blog to fruition? Well it is here! I put up the first post last night. The new blog will be related to architecture, but you can check it out if you want when you head over there. I invite you to follow if you're interested in what I do during school and my thoughts on all things architectural. If you know of others who may be interested, spread the word!

Here's the link: http://www.theabsentmindedarchitect.blogspot.com

swinging .

When was the last time you went on a swing? I don't know about you, but one of the most joyous things you could do on a playground was go on the swings. The longer the ropes, the better, because you could get so high. Jumping off mid-swing gave you that feeling that you could fly, if only for a split second. It's been almost a year since I've been on a swing myself, unfortunately. I came upon a song recently, and honestly I can't even remember how; but that song just reminded me of what I might feel like if I closed my eyes and pretended I was swinging through the air. Maybe it's the rhythmic notes or the ambient sounds. Whatever the case, it's definitely one of those that you just want to close your eyes and completely focus on. The song is called Mono No Aware by Hammock.

spin class .

Recently I've been taking advantage of some of the free classes that are offered at the gym on campus and I have found a love in spin class. When it comes to spinning, it first sort of piqued my interest because it was related to cycling. It's a great and easy opportunity to do when you don't have the energy to get out there on a ride or if it's raining. And the best part is that you blow an incredibly amount of calories!

I've been trying to go two times a week, on Tuesday and Thursday, and it's been really awesome. Every single time, you leave absolutely drained and literally dripping in sweat. So if you've tried exercising and can never find something that you like, I'd highly recommend spin! Even if you don't like cycling you may still enjoy spin. You can go as hard or as easy as you want to, you can challenge yourself, and the music is always really good to work out with. Happy exercising!

brotherly connections .

Before my brother started college, we would talk to each other pretty rarely. He had high school to deal with, and I had my classes. I had extracurriculars and so did he, but our schedules just didn't seem to mesh up. Despite all of that we always knew that we had each others' backs, would chat if the other needed it, and were supportive through all the challenges that life might bring. Unfortunately, I don't think that we really talked as much as either of us would have wanted to during that time. But it has started to change.

Music Monday #86

This week's song (after missing last week) is Some Nights by Fun.

why autumn is the best .

The way it seems to work in South Carolina is that it randomly just starts being Fall. A week and a half ago, we had a big storm and it poured and after that the temperature has just sort of settled. It's 50's and 60's in the morning, and heats up to around 85. Oddly enough, the humidity makes all the difference. When it's 85 and humid, it feels awful. But it's quite temperate when the humidity hides its face.

My brother texted me the other morning with the news that it was 37 degrees in the morning when he was walking to his 8am in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech. Yet later in the day, it warms up almost 30 degrees! The huge swing in temperatures throughout the day is nuts.

cheating .

I feel like cheating is something that has unfortunately now surrounded us in society. It's everywhere -- and you can't escape it. Given success rates of relationships, and more importantly of marriages, some may be so far pessimistic as to say, what's the point of relationships when the odds are against us?

It's true I think. The odds are against us. The important thing to remember is that even if they're against you, they're beatable. But not if you cheat. I had a conversation about this recently, and it just really was bugging me and on my mind. So here goes.

what is enough ?

I've been a follower of the leLove blog for quite some time now, and am always thrilled at the things that are posted there. There are some really good stories and really interesting things that somehow always seem to weave their way into my life in an uncanny way. This particular post caught my eye; and it poses the question, about what is enough. Read it first, then continue.

what would you give ?

I've always wanted to take some sort of long nature trip somewhere, sometime. I'm not sure how to do it or when, but I think it would be awesome to just be able to go out and just live. All I'm saying is that it'd be pretty awesome.

dogs & puppies and stuff .

So the other day, one of my roommates texted me with the information that his boss was looking to give up a 7 month old Husky puppy for free. The dog was up to date with all its shots and vaccinations, and had already been spayed/neutered (to be honest I forget whether the dog was male or female). I have always wanted a dog, and the guys and I had been planning on getting one when we moved into our house -- only problem is the house that we ended up signing the lease for is not pet-friendly. And so we couldn't get anything.

stupid complaints / excuses / nonsense that rich people spew .

In high school I once knew a girl who had it made; had a humongous house in a ritzy neighborhood, her Dad owned franchises (plural) and individual stores, they had gratuitous amounts of property, and when we would tell her she was rich, she would deny it. And this beings about the topic of this blog -- rich people are dumb. So I have this article  that explains why they are dumb in a much funnier and entertaining way (with much more factual evidence than I care to gather), and therefore I will leave you with that to read. The best part is that it provides actual quotes from the various rich idiots that exist.

Let it be known that this article was found on the blog of Mr. Andrew Hales, of LAHWF, in one of his old blogs that I just found today.

What I would like to do though, is go ahead and bring in the 6 points that they make and make my own comedy to that tune. But you should go check out the article first. Seriously. Don't fucking spoil it for yourself. You can read the rest of this afterwards!

upcoming additions to the blogosphere .

So tonight I don't really have any humourous stories, I don't have any crazy nonsense, I just have a bit of an announcement. Ever since I started back at Clemson last Spring after being abroad, it dawned on me just how much stuff there was in architecture to talk about. And since then, I've always wanted to start an architectural blog. This blog is more random, hence the name "Simply, Life", because it encompasses all kinds of topics all over the wide spectrum of life. An architecture blog will be my first attempt at a blog that is strictly topic-oriented, and I'm excited for it. I already have 8000 things on my plate, but you know what? I really wanna do it, so I'm going to. I'm not going to post daily like I do on this blog, and I'm excited at the possibilities that lie ahead. It may even be cool to have it for grad school applications, as something that will set me apart if only slightly from the mass number of people applying.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't even set up anything up yet or even started the design of it, but when I do, I will certainly let you all know, and if you're interested in following, you can go right ahead! Hope you all are having a great Monday.

one size fits all .

The pastor today began by talking about a hypothetical world where all of our wishes were granted, we never went hungry, all opportunities worked out in our favor, everything we needed was there when we needed it. In essence, this is a utopia, the perfect world. But following Jesus is not about getting everything that we need and want. It is about picking up our cross and keeping it with us at all times, just as Jesus did. Needless to say, this is not a literal cross, but a hypothetical one. God does not come and go when the going gets tough, but rather stays with us in our time of need, anger, hope, sadness, grief, joy, happiness, contentment, love. The cross is not tailored to any one individual, and this is where my favorite part of the sermon comes in:

football & flags .

Ladies and gentlemen, in South Carolina during the fall there is only one thing that truly matters to the population on Saturdays, and that thing is football. Being that I am part of Central Spirit, which is one of the biggest organizations on campus, I signed up to run flags for this game against Furman. What is running flags? Well, at the beginning of the game, when our team runs down the hill into the stadium, we run across the field with these giant flags that spell out Clemson. Need a visual? I got you.

if you're bored at school .

This goes out to all the kids who hate their classes, are bored at school, and just dread going to class. These are not just the ancient tactics of watching the clock hands (who has analog clocks in school still anyways!?) or doodling and scribbling all over your notes. We're talking about those hour and a half long lectures that put you to sleep; we're talking about the "I can't possibly stay awake in this class anymore" moments and the "Please, help, someone save me!" times. And since I seem to love lists so much, what better format to put this in than a list!?

women like double-standards, those sly dogs .

There are a lot of women out there who claim that they want things to be equal, and that women are always under-appreciated, under-employed, and discriminated against. They argue that things are never fair and never have been between the sexes. Never fair eh? Well, here's my take on it. First, we are just different. You can't compare apples and oranges, and you can't really compare men and women because we are different -- in physical appearance, in emotion, in natural ability and skill; there's a reason that women don't compete against men in the Olympics. It just doesn't work like that, you know? That wouldn't be fair. If women want complete equality, then we should have complete equality in everything, right? Men will do the laundry and women can mow the grass. Women can kill the bugs in the house, and men can cook dinners.

parents & kids at church .

Now, understandably I probably know next to nothing about parenting because I'm not at that stage of my life. But, I do know a thing or two about what kind of parent I'd like to be like, and I will NEVER be that parent that brings their 2 and 3 year old children to church with me. Now, I understand that church, if anywhere, is the one place where you should be most understanding and forgiving, but I'm gonna be real I hate when people bug the crap out of me while I'm trying to pay attention. Allow me to elaborate.

year 11 .

11 years ago was September 11th, 2001. Each year, new things are uncovered and the wounds sort of reopen for me as it is just so hard to relive through that experience. Now last year, I gave my story of exactly what I was doing that day. But every year, new things happen that just touch me. This year, as I was sitting in one of the student centers on campus, even ESPN was playing things to remember that day. I learned of the story of Welles Crowther, who was a 24 year old volunteer firefighter working in one of the buildings when the attacks happened.

Music Monday #85

This week's song is The End by Macklemore.

sunday sermon .

Today, the gospel story was about a man who was deaf and dumb, who was miraculously cured by Jesus. Jesus implored them not to tell anyone about it, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the word.

One thing the priest said in his homily resonated with me: Living as Christian means living in faith. It is important to perceive the great things that we have been given, and it is just as important to perceive when other people need help.

gameday .

Today was the second football game of this fall season for the Clemson Tigers. It was the first home game of the season, against Ball State. But today was not going to be like a normal day for me. It started out as usual, with Central Spirit getting all the balloons ready. If you're not sure what I mean by balloons... well, allow me to enlighten you:

why we work .

whether miles away, or minutes close
and in the future distance, who knows
despite the challenges we face daily
we survive for sure, not maybe

cathartic outlets .

There are two options; one of two paths that someone can choose if they get upset. The first is to hold it in and just try to deal with it internally. The other is to just open up, speak it, find some sort of outlet. I think we all can more or less agree that the former is just a suicide attempt. Eventually, you'll blow and when you do, it won't be pretty. But there are lots of different ways that people attempt to deal with their internal struggles.

the greek life decision .

My housemate and I were talking about Greek life last night, as Rush Blowout was last night in addition to the First Friday parade and all the sorority floats etc. There are some people that we are friends with involved in greek life, though I don't know as many as my housemate. We do know some incoming freshmen in Central Spirit that just recently were officially inducted into the whole greek life scene.

why people want to be rich .

One of the most common either/or questions that people ask is if something would rather have lots of money or have true love. Most people I know would undoubtedly answer with love -- just because you can't put a price tag on that. But sometimes I wonder why people have this goal of being rich. After all, what constitutes being 'rich'? Does it mean having everything you want, and then more? Or just being comfortable? Does it mean you can afford lavish things and upscale restaurants and designer clothes? Or does it just mean that you have lots of money and are considered a part of the 1%?

Music Monday #84

This week's song is Wide Awake by Katy Perry.

never-ending work .

Both in microeconomics last semester and macroeconomics this semester, we touch on human behavior in terms of employment and why people make various business decisions. This stuff is extremely interesting to me, because it's sort of things that you would never normally think about. It's in the same realm as analysing body language; the stuff is just interesting and really different stuff. Last semester we discussed how paying people more money only makes them work harder up until a certain point. Allow me to explain.

mind-blown .

If you are on Twitter, then you should seriously check out this account called Mind Blown @urmindblown. If you aren't on Twitter, then what the fuck are you doing with your life? Okay okay, I understand if you already have Facebook then you don't feel the need to have a Twitter. Some have both, some connect them, and me? Well I just have a Twitter because I'm anti-Facebook.

That being said, many of the accounts on Twitter are stupid, shoot out tons of spam, or are just plain idiotic. Some are very humourous, but get old quickly. But in this case, I was pleasantly surprised and certainly have been enjoying the tweets that come out of it.

things i will never understand .

I haven't written something in a humourous light in quite some time. And therefore, today, you all have a treat (especially given that I am 6 bloody days behind where I'm supposed to be). And so, another list of entertaining nonsense. These are all things that I will never understand.

living at a lake .

One of the great benefits of having a house on the lake is well, you have the lake right there. The other day I came home just hating that I had had such a long a tiring day of class and when I rolled in the driveway there was an extra car there and I could see some people hanging out down by the dock (Josh had decided to have some people over. After walking down the to water and briefly saying hello, I ran back inside and threw on my swimsuit, walked back down to the dock, then ran and dove into the water.

architorture already !?

So when we arrived last week at the first day of studio for architecture we have a surprised waiting for us. We were assigned a project on Day 1. Literally, on the day when every class is supposed to just be going ahead and having a free-day and a free pass to enjoy college a bit, the day when all you have to do is listen to your teacher blab about the syllabus, well, we were handed a project. Of course, we did go over the syllabus too, but that just added to the pain.