Flash Freeze

I thought this picture taken in Russia was fucking awesome. Apparently this is what happens when snow melts and flash “freezes”. All the constant weather changes in Michigan, and we can’t even have a phenomenon like this?

A girl walks into a field with a TV…

Scenario 1: [Drawing Below]

– “Never did the young girl suspect that one blow from a baseball bat could provide what she had been seeking for so long, and what has become increasingly unfamiliar in American society. The feeling of disconnection given to her from the destroyed TV in this lonely field gave her new life.”

Scenario 2:

– The young girl settles into a chair in the middle of an uninhabited field. She seeks peace, and solidarity much like the young girl in Scenario 1. However, she has brought miles of cable to plug her TV in while enjoying what she now believes to be a natural setting. This false sense of disconnection is equally comforting to her.

CREATIVITY IMAGINATION INSPIRTION KNOWLEDGE INNOVATION

Creativity – Creativity is doing, or making something that you have not previously thought of.

Imagination – Imagination is the preliminary stages of developing a creative thought.

Inspiration – Inspiration is whatever jump starts the creative processes – it all starts here.

Knowledge – Knowledge is anything gained from the unlimited wealth of information that you can acquire by your life experiences.

Innovation – Innovation is something original, and beneficial to – at the very least – yourself.

IDKMANWOW

Via Reddit. I can’t tell if it’s from the Spy vs Spy cartoon or not. Either way, the black smoke billowing out from underneath the water looks pretty cool. This GIF caught my attention immediately.

Post-Meditation Thoughts (1/22/13)

While I was standing next to the stream on the mountainside, I told my younger self to “Not worry”. I felt that this was the only message that needed communicating, because most things in life are beyond your control. The trials and tribulations that people go through in the span of their lifetime make them stronger, and shape them into the person that they are. I have struggled with being a “worry wart” ever since I was a child, and I believe that my stronger, current self wanted to assure the younger me that everything would be alright in the end. I will find peace, and I will find happiness. I pictured myself at a particular stream that I have visited in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. This was one of the last places that I felt at total bliss with my immediate family, as we took in the beautiful surroundings. No one could touch that moment, or take anything away from me. There were no immediate obligations – just myself and those mountains. I believe that is why I imagined myself standing at this stream.

Writing to a Prompt: What do you need to be creative? (1/22/13)

In order to be most creative, I require full attention to the task at hand. My mind is usually racing in a thousand different places, so mediocre work usually evolves if I am not fully focused on accomplishing something. Being relaxed, and stress-free also enables me to be creative. I feel more inclined to create something – like write a poem, Photoshop something, etc. – if I am not worrying about other happenings in my life. At the same, stress has also created some of my best work. I began to become extremely stressed, and occasionally depressed at the end of the first semester. I took to the pages of my notepad to help relieve this stress, and I believe it was at least partially affective. Writing has never been a “task” to me like it has been others, but rather poring my feelings and emotions onto paper. This is critical for my well-being because of how much usually runs through my mind on any given day. You could venture so far as to say that writing “saved me”, and still allows me to keep a solid grip on life today.

Writing to a Prompt: Stress (1/22/13)

I respond to stress by putting myself into familiar situations, with familiar people. This makes the uncertainty of life seem a little less relevant when I am hanging out with the ones that I grew up around. I also respond to stress by listening to music – the ultimate short-term stress reliever for me. It seems to wash away all problems that I may have at a particular time when I listen to an album, or song that I enjoy. Stress grabs a hold of me much too frequently, and it is something I am consciously working on fixing. I do not want to be dependent on a substance to relieve stress, which is why up until now I neglected mentioning this tactic. It is true that I use this strategy, but my favorite green medicine has become such a normal part of my life that I don’t even know if I could consider it a “stress reliever”. I have never felt addicted to this particular substance, and have always been able to stop usage when need be. I also have had the sneaking suspicion over the past few years that I could put down the “left-handed cigarette” if I was permanently happy.

Self-Censorship

I often censored myself in the WRA 130 class during the fall of this past year when we had class discussions. There was a lot of varying opinions that I disagreed with, and felt had strong counter arguments – but I bit my tongue because I was both too shy, and feared disapproval among classmates. I understand that I hold some opinions that may be in the minority, and for this reason I sometimes feel ashamed to get these beliefs out of my head. Looking back on this particular situation, I wish I would shared my thoughts more often in that class. The class was titled “American Radical Thought”, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the class discussions, yet rarely participated. I would have gotten much more out of the class, and potentially could have boosted my self-esteem if I spoke up.

Writing to a prompt: Tracks – 1/15/13

Tracks mean hanging out in Alto, Michigan and walking along them with friends. They mean moving to an unknown destination that consists of more unknowns. Each plank of wood on the track could be representative of a step on a ladder. Trains play a role in my life even now, when I hear that goddamn whistle during the middle of the night as I try to sleep. I have gotten used to it, however, the more I stay here. I barely even notice the whistle, but when I do – there is never anything good to say about it. Fuck that train whistle. Why would he keep blowing it when we obviously know he is coming through East Lansing? Maybe I am being a bit harsh to Mr. Train Conductor. I would have to meet him before I came to a conclusion about his seemingly obnoxious personality. It seems like he doesn’t stand a change, judging by my premonitions. How unfair. Those tracks go all across campus, yet I have no idea why people are still using trains. Semi-trucks, and airplanes…yes? The Vanderbilt family would be proud of Michigan State University and their continued use of outdated trains. I wonder if the Vanderbilt family had a goddamned train go by the Biltmore mansion all throughout the night. Probably not. That family was 20x more annoying than the train conductor. Why was every room the size of my house, yet each bed was fit for a midget? What an odd place to visit if you have the chance. The most beautiful, expansive house in America – with no air conditioning. I thoroughly enjoyed the gardens outside the house. Probably more so than the house itself. Am I bitter? No, because I wouldn’t live in a house that big if you asked me to. Why would I want to get lost walking to the bathroom? Those house maids back in the day must have really hated the Vanderbilt family. It’s a shame their university is so irrelevant in sports, because they represent what an SEC school SHOULD be like. Strong academics with less emphasis on the monopolizing football teams that run rampant in college sports. From train tracks to NCAA unfairness. What a prompt, what a day. Oh yeah, it’s my birthday. Another meaningless day, but hey – I have a new number attached to my name! How exciting!