Everything is Good, Everything is Bad

What do you like? What do you hate? We all look at things differently. Specific things you really need an interest in to care about. A trip to the art museum or café could reveal a discord between friends. 


One of the big things people have a disagreement on is modern art. To the common eye- bad. Is that because the common eye is untrained? Abstract art doesn't have the obvious beauty that a portrait or landscape might. Modern art has an important part in the long and rich history of art. It's not pointless. Believe it or not, there is precision and plan to it. Despite style changing it will always be part of the foundation of art and highly esteemed by some.



Even though coffee is supremely popular around the world, not everyone goes to the same length to achieve a particular taste. Coffee may be nothing more than a $1.19 charge at the McDonald's drive-thru. Extra cream. Five sugars. Would you agree with me if I told you that ruins it? 

Freshly roasted beans ground to the right consistency. Pure water heated to the correct temperature. Proportion of those two together for a certain amount of time.  These are important factors to anyone who's enthusiastic about coffee. Yet something like an expensive burr grinder may seem unnecessary. Forget owning a basic Krups electric blade grinder, a lot of people buy their coffee already ground. Not every friend will be interested in listening to how you're working on improving your brew method. That's okay! Neither the Mr. Coffee user or the guy with a Chemex needs to feel guilty.


As I was watching an anime I wondered- Is really as lovely as I think it is? Or is it childish?
Then I read a comment on it that said "It's anime like this that reminds me why I liked anime to begin with. This one in particular has such vivid imagery and powerful metaphors in its animation. It's no longer anime; it's art in motion with plot." This comment had 657 "likes." So I'm not alone!

Specific types of art, food or T.V shows you enjoy can be influenced by where you live. Since anime is only a big thing in Japan, your friends could see you fascination with it as off the wall. Don't worry. There are others fans somewhere in your country who have started saying "Arigatō" as often as you have.


Can there be a final authority on whether something is good or bad? It's a matter of taste. Not everyone went to art school. Not everyone knows what factors affect the taste of coffee. And anime? Maybe you don't live in Japan. But just because you are disinterested in something doesn't mean it's no good. In order to enjoy certain things you need to have an appreciation for the work and forethought behind it.

Playlist - Spring 2014

   No season says "new" quite like spring. It's time to get up from the desk and breath in some fresh air. 

These songs will let you know the snow has melted and put some pep in your step!

   I put together a spring playlist two years ago. Why not bring it back? Now improved with a Spotify playlist for easy listening. 

Ole Parking Lot Sky

   How could a parking lot interest anyone? Well you aren't just at everyone's favorite place to shop but a place to see a beautiful sky. It's just nice you don't have to be anywhere special like the prairie of Missouri or a beach in SoCal to see the sunset. Their beauty is there for anyone to admire and capture. A parking lot gives an open space to view one. Here is my series "Parking Lot Picture of the Sky."

                           

                  

       

 The buildings and cars do obscure sky but that's okay. 

Insta-guess

   Picture taking is at an all time high. Professional photographers aren't the only ones recording life.  It's not 1930 anymore. You don't even need to specifically carry a camera anymore. Cellphones have a lens built right in for you to take a decent photo. 

   What will you do with the pictures? You probably are not going to share each one on the internet. Most of them aren't taken with the purpose of being instantly posted on social media. We keep them to look back on. Whether the day comes when we show a friend part of our photo library doesn't matter. They don't need to be featured anywhere. But when you take a picture of an impressive landscape, a delicious coffee drink or a group shot at a party you have to decide it it's worth clicking "share" on. I hit on that question in my last post concerning baked goods. 

   There's always that one friend who seems to have no filter and documents much of what they see. I don't mind that. But that's not the case for all of us. Some are too busy and don't see the need for posting very often. We have to weed through the new hundred images during the week and decide what makes the cut and what doesn't. 

   Do I have a good enough reason to post? It has to be something that I like and think others will like, even if it's just have a few people I have in mind. The biggest thing I'm talking about is Instagram. Do you post for friends only or quality photographs for a person who might not know you would appreciate? 

   I never gave much thought to the standards there are for a picture to be considered "good" in the eyes of a stranger. A book publisher won't put out a book that doesn't have an interesting story. A record producer won't release a song only the artist's mother could stand. Before a song or book can be out for public consumption it has to meet an established criteria.

   Some focus on the product and choose to follow the rules and share photos that could attract anyone out there. I'm trying now to see the skill involved with being able to do that versus being straightforward and posting what's plainly in front of you. It's like informative writing that gets the point across compared to descriptive writing that is attracting and enjoyable for a wider range of people. 

   I have an idea for another app as a predecessor to Instagram or anything else you use. Insta-Guess. Upload a photo and people can vote 'yes' or 'no' if they think the picture is worthy of being seen. Until that app is built, we'll have to decide for ourselves- Offer strictly good quality photos for anyone or appeal to a smaller audience of just your friends? There's a need for both. You can set the standard. It's just a personal choice that won't get you in trouble one way or another.

Easy

   Do you have a hobby you've picked up that can be considered a skill? It's enjoyable to do even simple things. Whether it be creating by drawing, painting, sewing or something athletic like running, playing a sport with friends. In all my free time last year, I got into baking from scratch. 

   Baking seems pretty straight forward to me. All you have to do is follow the directions. How can anyone mess it up? Yet lots of people will confess they don't do well in the kitchen. Having millions of recipes right at my fingertips made it very easy to bake whatever I was in the mood for. Lots of different cookies, muffins, and cakes were dished up. Along with this came the need to share a picture of what I made with others. When I started out I was pretty impressed with each thing and considered it worthy of  Instagram. Since I've made even more things this year, the less impressive things have went to Flickr. And some rank so low they go unseen by anyone on the Internet.  

Just look at this cinnamon-sugar muffin picture I didn't consider worthy of any website. Now it will have it's time in the sun! 

With every other picture I post, I get a "that looks so good" comment. I wish anyone who wanted a sample could just reach through the computer and have some. But in the mean time- why don't they just make something themselves?  I've picked up a reputation of being good at baking among a few people. Most of us enjoy sweets so baking can be seen as a valuable skill. But it feels like I'm cheating somehow because nothing I've done has required any test and fail or advanced knowledge. Maybe the only thing I know that not everyone is aware of is the correct way to measure flour. So can I really be considered good at baking? I feel very far from anything my grandmother, and maybe yours too, ever did. I would sooner pick writing as my talent because it's an ability I really care about and want to develop.

Is there anything you're praised for that is easy for you to do? Not a skill you've acquired by putting time in and gaining knowledge about, but whatever doesn't take much work in your eyes. 

Hero

   We all have people we look up to. Someone with good traits who's done admirable things. From the average guy whose work you follow to the renowned visionary who changed everything. Here is a list of my heroes, television personalities edition.


Mike Holmes- Anyone who cares enough to help people with home renovations not done properly is awesome. That's exactly what he does on his show Holmes on Homes on HGTV. Sure it's his business but it seems like he cares about making the homeowner happy and not solely for the money. He is very smart and a hard worker. I wouldn't be taking on those long and difficult jobs as he and his crew does. Also he's from Canada so that makes him even cooler in my eyes.

Jim Cantore- I've always enjoyed learning about weather. I also get very excited about storms! Jim Cantore is a pro and veteran meteorologist always out there reporting severe weather. He stands fighting in the 80MPH wind and horizontal rain of hurricanes.  I admire what he does and I'd love to be out there too.

LeVar Burton - I watched Reading Rainbow as a kid and even remember borrowing a VHS of my favorite episode from the library. He encouraged kids to gain knowledge through reading. The things talked about on the show are still valuable today. Just think of how loved you would feel if you were with he and Mr. Rogers at the same time.

Les Stroud - When my 8th grade English class had to write an essay about your hero, I wrote about Les Stroud.  The show Survivor Man gripped my attention. As his website describes the premise of the show "No food, no shelter, no fresh water, no tools...no camera crew. One man- alone in the wilderness for seven days." He survived in extreme situations when it seemed impossible to. It showed how resourceful you can be when you have practical knowledge.  Bear Grylls tried to do the same thing but Les did it in a serious way without being showy.

Mission Statement

   Someone you know starts a blog. Great! There's something new for you to read. They almost always start with a mission statement, a call to action of some sort. It explains why they have started the blog and possibly the reason behind the title of it. It's go time! What happens next? After one or two more posts, there is nothing. After the call to action, they abandon their blog!

   There's plenty of reasons people don't continue posting. But if you seriously want to have a blog maybe it's better not to start out with your mission statement. There is evidence that shows an intro is not necessary.

   Out of all the movies you've seen, how many of them start out with "This is the story of Harold and each tumultuous event he faces in his life. There will be love, rejection, human conflict and triumph of the struggling human spirit." OK that's a bit much. Some set up the story to explain the setting and characters, not necessarily touching on the plot. Many ignore any intro, even starting with an end scene or jumping right into the story. Books do the same thing. The artist that tells someone what they're going to paint won't paint it. None of them have to reveal what their mission is. I think if you start off doing what you want, you will be less likely to quit early. There are countless blogs across the Internet started and not continued. Let's do away with the clutter.

   I speak from my own experience. I didn't have an idea firmed up on what this blog would do. I just talked about ideas I had no other outlet for.  Only a few people read this blog. My advice obviously isn't a master list to follow for a successful blog. I want to show you can start and continue using a blog without any destination in mind. 

   For me, I enjoy writing. Posting on this blog makes a difference to me. I can define it as a personal blog. The pressure is off! Personal blogs don't have to reach any level of success. Some only have posts which center around pictures with their only purpose to be seen by far away family and friends. That and what I'm doing can at least be seen as a step up from blogs rambling on about what the person did today. Those only appeal to a small audience. As long as what you're doing can be understood when it's seen by someone who come across your blog one day, how can you go wrong?

   Do what you will be satisfied with. Any expression of original thoughts are not wasted space and something to be proud of. 

Found

   Over the years I mentally created a list of things I wanted. Not passing items I saw in a store window. No, they are things I just want deep down. While they are random, there's a thoughts behind each one. Here's what I've found so far. 

{Red Highlighter}

You see every color highlighter out there. Blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, even purple. But no red. Why is that? My only guess is because red is the color teachers often use grade papers. Red corrects the mistakes, it shows the bad, thus landing it with a bad connotation. I went into Staples for the purpose of getting one and was delighted to find they had them. I haven't used any other color since. I guess I'm making up on all the lost time with no red highlighter!

{Red Rain Boots}

Red again! I have one simple reason for wanting red rain boots. I had a pair when I was in the first grade. Ever since I've just wanted them again. You'd think this was a pretty basic color for rain boots but it actually took me awhile to find them in a store. They're very useful for quick outings in the snow too.

{Triangle}

It's a shape. It's an instrument. How can you go wrong? I finally got to use one in music class during the 6th grade. I just loved it. While drafting this post I realized I put no effort into getting a triangle. I looked on Amazon and easily got one. It's not symphony quality but it does the job. 

{Telescope} 

This has to be the number one thing of all time that I've wanted. Who doesn't want to look up into space from their own backyard?  I always go outside when there's a possibility of seeing a space launch or a meteor shower. I did some research and purchased this one a couple weeks ago. I can't say my dream has really come true yet because I haven't tried it out. Being a total amateur make me a bit hesitant about using it. I just have to put the time in and get some astronomy knowledge in my brain. I might do a post in the future on how it goes. 

I Was Wrong

"I was wrong."

How frequently do you hear that? I don't hear it very often. It seems like no one wants to say it. It's usually in the statement "I admit I was wrong." Few want to admit to a mistake. Why is that?

Pride? That shouldn't be the case. Will you ever be rewarded for upholding such pride? Pride can likely lead to something bad. Or the person may think they're genuinely right. Can you ever doubt your first ideas? Can't you be edited? Accept you may not have all the facts or know the true feelings and motivation behind each disagreement. The emotion arguments produce the most is anger. Anger makes you assert your point without taking anything else into account. That certainly won't get you anywhere. A person may stop speaking to you because they feel there's no reasoning to be done.

I invariably have the desire to fix things. I'm always hoping the other person feels the same way. It's difficult to know what to say when the other person just won't budge. Friendships I never thought I had to affirm end. I never stop thinking about what I could have done differently.

This is the little bit I've learned -
Do whatever you can to preserve the friendship. Don't deny any fault of your own. There's nothing wrong in taking a fall yourself.

The Flashlight Club

One day this past week I couldn't charge my iPhone or iPod because my two USB cables stopped working. So I was faced with a challenge since I usually fall asleep listening to music. I remembered this small radio which probably came from my grandma's house years ago. Nifty little thing. I've always been impressed that you can listen to the radio for free and 24/7. Good thing for me! 

I've jokingly said to my mom she needs an iPad Mini to use when she can't fall asleep. It was hard for me to imagine what it was like to fall asleep in silence and no little box of light to stare at. It finally hit me- that's what she's done her whole life. Not all that long ago there were no smart phones and computers. Besides T.V. and radio, what could one hear at night? Nothing!

That shows it's possible to live without it. Plenty of people do and don't feel devoid of anything. Sure it's nice to carry out business and stay connected with friends (an overused phrase) but how much time do we spend doing necessary things? You get this profound feeling once you turn off the screen. The whole world of the internet is gone. It's not a physical thing. 

You don't have to get rid of all technology because people in the past lived happily without it. Just see if you benefit from spending a little less time with it. Read this blog, take care of your work, see the new photos of your nephew on Facebook and go do something else. 

Don't Break Your Own Rules

People always seem to be quick to tell you what to do. For kids, parents and teachers have all the control. For adults, their boss, spouse, friends and everyone in between call the shots. Everyone has their own idea of what you should and shouldn't do. It can be irritating. But what about when you decide for yourself what not to do? 

Only you know your whole situation, all your strengths and weaknesses  When you've resolved something yourself  it's worth following though on especially when it's clear what needs to be done. 

If you break your own rules- what's stopping you from failure? 

Temporary Insanity

   How much longer can what's popular on the Internet now stay popular?  Does each thing have an expiration date set to expire? Content on the Internet is obviously fast pace and changing each day. A news story attracts most of its readers in the first few days or even less.  A video might get passed around for a weeks time. All websites they reside on and more needs to be questioned.

   Most of us have social media websites we visit regularly. For the past three years Facebook has been the top choice for many. I signed up for Facebook in 2006 when a friend invited me. I didn't think much of it. I literary only knew one other person on the site so there wasn't much I could do with it. I let my account lie dormant while spending time where my friends were, Myspace. There was a good four year period when that's what most people used (maybe you were Xanga type of guy.) While everyone was searching for a new layout for their page and leaving "pc4pc!" comments, Facebook was gaining popularity with the college kids it welcomed. I'm not going to go into the whole history of Facebook, that's not what this is about. But why did people totally switch from one thing to another? I know its full of inaccuracies but in the movie The Social Network,  Mark Zukerberg asked how The Harvard Connection would be different from Myspace or Friendster. The answer was that girls would want to date guys from the school and because of exclusivity. That's just two things Facebook became to have making it stand out. There are more answers to that question and you can see the differences between the two now. Cut to today and only a tiny fraction of users remain on Myspace.

   Just in the same way, what's next? How much longer can the popularity of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even YouTube continue? Each of them have been established as some of the top go-to places. Not to say that the whole population is divided between these, because there are a lot of similar places to talk with friends, upload pictures and watch videos. There isn't a clear answer. Each can adapt to the interests of the users if they are willing to.

   One reply could be that because the Internet is improving and becoming more and more advanced is the reason why things can't last. Websites that were created in the early 2000s don't stand a chance in their original form. The features and layout of YouTube are ever-changing since it started almost eight years ago. Very likely it will soon have its first video with a billion views. Yet those who make money uploading videos on the site for a living are sensitive to the fact that YouTube won't be around forever. They have other pursuits and create content elsewhere. Some are part of a company, like Maker Studios, that produce content immune to the popularity of YouTube. People want to secure material in something more reliable than a single website.

 
   Indeed none of these websites will suffer a fall unless another rises above them. If and when this takes place is anyone's guess. I'm certainly not the only person to examine this. Are you questions them too?

Influence

   The fall time and all holidays that it encompasses has been talked about nonstop for months now. 

I'm finding this year to be the most extreme for many reasons. It's not enough for a store to sell holiday things during the month they occur, now the seasons must be celebrated too. 

  
   My whole life I thought summertime was what people enjoyed the most. But going back to August I kept hearing about "getting ready for fall" and people actually anticipating it. Why? Seasonal everything. One thing is clothing. Obviously the fashion world prepares for the weather changes and new trends, but now people can't wait to put a sweater on. Think about that.  You want to be so uncomfortably cold you have to put on a sweater? That's what you look forward too? Boots aren't worn when they're needed, they're just a fashion accessory. 

  
   Another thing that's really being pushed is fall time drinks. Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts can now get consumers to come in more frequently with the offer of seasonal drinks. You can get either pumpkin, caramel, or mint flavored chemicals added to your expensive coffee.

   Your home also must be ready for the change. The season offers stores the opportunity to sell an untold amount of decor items. There used to be a time when the only leaves you saw were on the ground, and the only pumpkins were edible ones. This is in addition to all the holiday decor available.

   Media is an aid to commercialism. It's just adapting to this change and giving its support. But now things have become more "social."  Social media can be used for the further outreaching of advertisement in order to get you to buy seasonal stuff. It now comes to you on the most personal level possible Internet-wise.

   I can't help but take note of the degree to which this manifestation of the pervading influence has burst forth upon us. What can be hyped up next?

Wait and See

   I'm always been one to get some great deals on clothes and other things. For a long time I wanted some way to share these impressive finds. My latest buy is worthy of this humble blog.

   Going all the way back to July, I saw a girl wearing these really interesting shoes. The next month or so I saw them in Dillard's. To my dismay they were $89. I obviously didn't want to pay that much. As time went on and I was in the store again they were reduced to $69. I almost did consider getting them because I thought they were so cool. But I held back. Eventually I was there in  September and saw there was a big shoe sale going on. Excitedly I found the shoes and they were marked down to thirty something dollars. Not too bad. Alas they were only left in sizes 5 to 7. Too small for me. All hope seemed to be lost!

  I was there late last Friday and they had their usual amount of shoes on sale. And me refusing to accept defeat, I looked for them. And to total surprise, I found just one pair. In an 8 too. My size! The sale price was still $30, fine with me.

Gianni Binni. Originally $89.99

 Also I found these awesome shoes with a good amount of other shoes all for $9.99.
All designer, I mind you. Crazy!

Gianni Bini. Originally $49.99

When the total for both came to $21.83 I thought "what!?!"

..for some reason unknown to me...the woman who checked us out voided the price of the first and gave them to is for $9.99 also. Possibly they should have been marked down more because they were from the summer.
 

Never pay full price!

How To Appear Smart

Appearing smart doesn't require that much intelligence. All it will take is reading this list! That and not letting people see past the surface. We're just going to give an impression and then move on.

 

#1 Have books handy

   Not just any books, it has to be particular ones. Having each Twilight book on your shelf isn't going to do you all that good with the type of people we're trying to attract. So what books do you need? There's a lot of options and it shouldn't be too difficult to decide what will work and what won't. Just ask yourself "Would a smart person read this?" or in other words "Is this book beyond me?" If it is, you've got something good! It can be anything dealing with literature (the study of/ and or classic novels) mathematics, science, or some other genus reading material. Now what you do with those books is important. If you ever have people coming to your home you want to appear smart to, have these books handy. They can be on the bookshelf or even on the coffee table. Try not to make it too obvious that you want them to be seen. Throw a couple of average readers on a shelf next to them. Even a couple of well selected books can do the trick.

   Here's my own example. Look at these books. There is no way of knowing if I've actually read them or not.
As far as any passerby is concerned,  I have. But the truth? I'm yet to read Literature and Life in America. Love Poems and Sonnets of Shakespeare I'm rather afraid to read. Industrial Control Instruments I have never read and never will. The only reason I got that book from a Library sale was just for this purpose! For show!

But not everyone you want to come across as smart will be in your home. This leads to #2, which is similar to #1.


#2 Carry a book around

   All the books you have reserved for #1 will work for this step. You don't have to carry a book around with you where ever you are,  just in appropriate places. That's really for you to decide. 
Don't pick the MOST difficult book to carry because you should be able to read it if you absolutely have to in an emergency.  I'm not going to carry that  Industrial Control Instruments book around. That would just be silly. Take a book that interests you, but you probably won't be reading its entirety any time soon.

   This is an example that's already worked for me. I did state testing this past year for school and in between sections of the test we were allowed to read. As one teacher past by me she asked what I was reading. Wordlessly, I showed her this page. Yes, it was the autobiography of  Italian metal worker Benvenuto Cellini. Her only reply was "Oh...that's deep." I had only read two pages of this book and that's all it took. The teacher had much more to say to the girl next to me reading The Hunger Games. Ha! It takes a certain kind of person to understand the things you and I will be holding.  Harvard classics only!!!


#3 Watch T.V and YouTube 

   You're probably already doing this step. You can  pick up bits and pieces of information with this. Not everything you watch will be useful. Obviously you will learn more from a documentary than you will from an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.  But what's mentioned by the people in shows, movies, and even videos on the internet can teach you something. It's not going to teach you anything in depth, but it may be good enough. You've probably heard of people knowing "a little bit about everything." Well that can now be you, all from you paying attention to your entertainment! You can benefit from this by dropping these bits on information of what you know in conversation when applicable.



#4 Quote exoteric movie lines 

   When the discussion turns to film, you can quote exoteric lines from movies (well known and obscure). You don't have to claim whether you've seen the movie or not.  People will be blown away from you reciting an excerpt from a movie. They will be so awestruck that you won't even need to say anything else for the rest of the conversation. That may be because you don't know anything about the movie, but they will probably assume you just know it so well you're above talking about it. A few times I've quoted "“What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof? I wish I knew... just staying on it, I guess, as long as she can...”  Have I seen the movie Cat on a Hot Tin Roof?  No. But you would think I did if you heard me quote it.
In case of an emergency mention the sled that said "Rosebud".


By following these steps and whatever else you can think of- you can successfully appear smart, knowledgeable and interesting. You may have very shallow friends but take it for what it's worth. 

Good Days are Here Again

"Those were the good old days..."


Were they?


   I often look back on things and think that. The people and the places I went in the past now seem so delicate. Delicate in the sense that they were really great and nothing can change that memory.

Next I'll think  "If only I was back at that time again." But what's funny is I probably was never aware that I was experiencing the good times when they were happening.
Of course I had fun when I was with the people I really cared about and knew it. But I think I should have appreciated them even more.
 


If this is really the case that only things in the past were good, then things must be getting progressively worse.  Either they are or your memory of the past is distorted. Maybe some of things look so nice because you're only remembering the good.
Certain places you can never return to. People you once spent time with are no longer your friends. Dwelling on this gets to be so painful. Change isn't easy, especially when it's a change for the worse.

So what now?  You just have to hope that you will be happy sometime in the future and do things memorable, big or small.

Playlist - Spring 2012

I had the idea this past winter to have a post on a PLAYLIST. Yep that's right. Here's some songs I've liked the past few month. It's mostly pop/techno music with some other stuff thrown in. So if you like that type of stuff you may enjoy this.  This blog doesn't get much traffic (obviously) so I can pretty much post whatever I want. ;)


http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL14C3D0BA98C7AFAD

Alexz Johnson - Give Me Fire
Dia Frampton - Don't Kick the Chair
Flo Rida - Wild Ones
Kill Paradise - Forget the Queen, Save Us All
Markattack - Infinite Possibility
Morgan Page - In the Air
Mr. Hudson - Everything Is Broken
Olly Murs - Heart Skips A Beat
Inna - Amazing
Coldplay - Princess of China
Foster The People - Call It What You Want
Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Jamie Woon remix)
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know

Shy

"Oh she's just shy."

   I've gotten that many times. It's usually a statement made from someone who thinks they know me to someone else. It's an excuse as to why I'm not saying much.
I keep trying to define the word shy. It's definitely not a compliment, so does that make it an insult? I'm starting to think so. It's not as obvious as an insult like "oh she's overweight." or "they're such a jerk." Still it doesn't do any good or encourage anyone. So what is the point in saying it? No one has to make an excuse for me not being social enough.

    This problem has followed me for a long time. Back in kindergarten, The Powerpuff Girls were really popular with all the girls. My friends and I used to play that we were them as recess. I remember one day we were lining up after recess and overheard my friends trying to decide who was going to play which character the next day. One girl suggested I be Bubbles..and the other said "no...she doesn't have enough spirit." If you've never seen the show- Bubbles is the really happy, ditzy, bubbly one. I know this was only something a five year old said, but strangely I haven't forgotten about it. Not because I'm still angry to this day but because it stood out to me so much. According to the world I don't have much spirit and I'm shy.  It doesn't sound like things are going too well for me.

"Quiet people have the loudest minds." - Stephen Hawking

   I came across this quote recently and I think it's true. Maybe not true for every single person who is considered quite but still. Everybody is different. Not everyone can be loud and obnoxious. Everybody is different!  And that's good! Not to say that I don't dislike people who are talkative.
No one needs to be permanently labeled as shy. You will get into so many conversation for the rest of your life. Sometimes you just don't have anything to say in a particular conversation or to certain people. That's fine. At the least you can be considered a good listener- and that is valuable.

From Where I Sit

Driving home on I81 really was beautiful in some spots. The highway its self is just a bunch of cars and trucks passing one another. Seeing all the hills and rivers really is a contrast. All of that is there on its own. The things man-made are just build around them. The highways have no purpose other than to accommodate people going places. I could go on about this but I'll spare you.

 A shot from out the car window. I know...I should have put the window down. :p

The view from out hotel window in Salem, VA. The city is build up but the mountains were there first.

Winter Beach

Just an idea I had, took me a few minutes to do. I don't know if this is any good, haha. It's pretty short and it doesn't rhyme. 

Winter Beach

Sand and snow

Feel the heat of the crystal cold

Piercing sun in the icy wind

Complicate the sweet sound of the roaring lull

Up high and falling down

Bare skin hits the wool

Soaking up the chilly day

Hot humidity freezes me