Hiatus .

Well, I never wanted to do this. I thought that I could keep up with everything. But right now, there are just too many things going on. My studio project. My job. Getting grad school applications ready. Working on a portfolio. Studying for tests. Eventually studying for finals. Financial project. Working out. Going to football games.

There are simply too many things on my plate right now, and as important as blogging is to me (and as important as all of you are to me, my dear friends!) I believe that it's time that I take a short hiatus from writing here. It will only be until the end of the semester, which is mid-Decemeber or so. Do you think you can last that long? :) I'll still be reading about all of your adventures as much as I can, and I promise even if I don't comment I do actually ready every post you all write. There's a reason why I don't follow 300+ blogs; it's so I can keep up with them all!

I can't wait to get back to this full time, but for now, I just have to put forth all my efforts into those things that really need to get done! I appreciate your understanding and support, and can't wait to be back with more stories in a few months!

why the future is scary .

In my macroeconomics class yesterday we were talking about the national debt and how the government attempts to fix it. The economy scares the shit out of me; it's like there is no safe place to keep your money. Keep it in a bank, and it doesn't really officially exist. It's just a number. Interest never really accumulates in the bank anyways. Put it in stocks, and the market will crash. Put it in bonds, and the government can't afford to pay you back. Put it under your mattress and inflation will decrease its value anyways. Spend it and then you have none. Put it in real estate and the housing market crashes. Why is there no easy answer?

advice for the LDR enthusiast .

Long distance relationships are not easy. But there are things you can do to make them easier... much easier. And so, given that I've been experiencing these things firsthand, I thought it would be nice to share them.

Music Monday #89

This week's song is Together by Michelle Branch.

church, southern eating & table rock .

Sunday was a fun-filled day for the two of us. We started off with an early mass at St. Andrew Catholic Church in downtown Clemson on Sloan Street. It's where I usually go on my own at 8am on Sundays. I was thrilled that Courtney not only decided to come with me, but wanted to; she is Jewish and I am Catholic, so it meant a lot.

Greenville and a lunch .

So I'm behind on writing these, but it matters not. On Saturday Courtney and I made our way to Greer to visit my boss, Carl T. Smith. Carl actually is an author, and I do some marketing and PR work for him. I knew he'd been wanting to get together, so this was a perfect opportunity for him to not only meet my woman, but to go into downtown Greenville and visit Falls Park. It just so happened Greenville was having their Fall Festival that day, so Main St. was closed and there were people a-plenty.

old ladies & wine .

So funny anecdote from the other day. I went into Food Lion to grab a bottle of wine with Courtney, in addition to some things we wanted to make a nicer dinner. Upon checking out, the cashier asked to check my ID, and then asked for hers. We weren't checking out together really, as we were buying different things (and she's 20 so she is not of legal age). The lady wouldn't let me buy the wine. Apparently this is a statewide (maybe even national?) rule and she just wouldn't let us do it.

2 month success !

On Thursday, Courtney came down! It's the first time that we had seen each other in two months. It was truly incredible that the time felt like it took forever, but at the same time that it went very quickly. It's great that we were able to make it this far and I'm really proud of us! Each day may have been a challenge, but we were able to get through it and not worry about anything. The most amazing part? We haven't really fought about anything. One of her major concerns was that if we fought about things we would give up valuable time to talk or what have you. But we've been able to always keep a cool head and just calmly talk about it until we've worked everything out. Yes, some disagreements carried more weight, but that's to be expected.

midterm review .

Well I suppose the technical name is not so much a midterm review, but perhaps more of a mid-project review. We're only doing one in studio, but we've had two formal reviews thus far. It's always very important to me to do well on these, not just because they are graded, but because they are also usually a reflection on who I am and the type of work that I produce. I want to do well and work hard to impress the grad schools that I am applying to.

cuddling .

It's the best thing ever. Truly. It was one of the things that I truly missed when I didn't have a girlfriend. There's something about the human touch of another that is very comforting. Hugs, kisses, holding hands, holding each other; I don't think it would be possible to live without it (though some find the same comfort in their pets).

Music Monday #88

This week's song is I Just Want You to Know by Relient K.

more humourous nonsense .

So, a comical post? Don't mind if I do!

This first popped into my head after what goes on on Twitter on the regs. I love those people that go out there and post vague shit on Twitter. For example... "Well seems like SOMEONE is in a good mood today..."

Dude, unless you name names you're just like those little trolls on Youtube who talk shit about everything and back up nothing. (We'll address them later). I think we all can agree that social media is probably THE WORST place you can spew your issues. Find a close friend to talk about that stuff with, and if you don't have any, well then you're on your own pal. And no, since you're thinking it and going to rag on me about it, Blogger is definitely NOT that sort of social media outlet. We're family here -- vent away :)

Ask me shit .

Well, after Sarah's post seemed to be wildly successful, I decided I was going to literally copy exactly what she did and seeeeee what happens. I've written a fair amount on this blog, and though I have an "ask questions" tab, no one ever actually asks any questions in that (I promise it does work, and it gets sent to me...) So with that being said, here's where you get to have some fun.

I FINALLY set up an email for this blog. Yes, an official email where you can ask me stuff, or email me random shit if you feel so inclined. Just don't spam me or I'll send you angry emails back. Kay? Kay.

So here it is! --> asmallpieceofgodsplan@gmail.com

Send me things you'd like to know. Questions can be about anything, regarding anything. I'm happy to oblige! If I get a good number of responses.... Maybe just maybe I'll try to shoot a video for it like Sarah.

Oh, and final words -- Go check out her bloggity. It's fucking awesome. http://www.radiowaltz.blogspot.com.

outside the comfort zone .

More and more as the years go by I realize that I have a huge problem stepping outside my comfort zone. I'm a worrier and a planner -- when I traveled in Europe, I made myself itineraries every time I went somewhere on my own. I had bus routes, plane tickets, places to go and ways to get there, emails and phone numbers; literally a place by place list of where I was going each day. Sometimes I had even written down places to eat. I hate not knowing what I'm doing or where I'm going. This neurotic sense is only cured by the comfort of things that I know that are "safe."

losing a phone .

My girlfriend had her phone stolen today. I think that until such a thing happens, we don't realize how much we not only depend on our cell phones, but pour our life into them. Saved texts, pictures, videos, notes, calendar events, alarms; it would be safe to say we use our phone for everything. Luckily she had an iPhone and was able to get stuff off the internet (pictures and contacts anyways), but still, the thought of losing a phone is pretty upsetting. It's like when the power goes out, and you realize that you can't do anything without the internet; you feel handicapped.

While it's pretty likely that she'll never get her phone back, and unfortunately will have to find a way to get another, I'm hoping things look up. Send up some prayers for me!

kids .

I'm no expert on parenting, but I saw this video today and it stuck with me:

Can you say, coolest fucking parent ever? I wish my parents let me do stuff like that when I was that little. One of my goals as a parent is not only to watch out for my kids, instill good morals, etc., but also to be able to take a little risk sometimes and do fun things together. The pride you'll have at the end will outweigh the risk I think. It's a way to share what you love with your kids -- I love riding on both my bikes, road or mountain, and it's important to share that with the kids. I love snowboarding, and I'd like to share that too. Plus, the only way they'll find out what they like and don't like is to try it; so why not think outside the box a bit and do something other than the usual stuff?!

Also, on a side note... I still haven't found a mountain close to me where I can take my bike up on a lift and do this. Sad face.

bullying & being overweight .

Several things were brought to my attention today; the first being a news woman who received a dose of cyberbullying, and the second that October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Bullying is a strange subject to talk about and as social media options increase and the percentage of population that has a social media outlet increases, bullying seems to be positively related. One of my favourite rappers, Macklemore, retweeted this video:

Music Monday #87

This week's song is Language by Porter Robinson.